Avalon Academy
by Navek
Summary: First Fairy Mythos side-story! Avalon Academy; a school where the best and brightest students go to master their magic. This is the story of an ambitious young man looking for a purpose, an amateur author trying to help her family, a protegee hoping to continue his father's legacy, and a young girl trying to remember her past. Class is in session!
1. Welcome to Avalon Academy

**Author's Note 1: I don't think I'm far off from stating that most anime centered around a magical high school are utter garbage. Even my favorites in this genre like Soul Eater and Chivalry of a Failed Knight, have their fair share of problems. However, I am a firm advocator of the idea that there a no such things as bad stories, just bad writers.**

 **So here I go! My first attempt at a genre I'm not particularly fond of! I can't see anything going wrong! And yes, this is in-canon with the rest of the Fairy Mythos series, and if this experiment proves successful, I may do some more spin-offs meant to expand the world (as if I don't do that enough with the main story).**

 _Chapter 1: Welcome to Avalon Academy_

 _In the kingdom of Fiore, there are those who practice their craft to become expert wizards. While many of these wizards are usually self-taught, there are those who wish to master their skill to prepare for their future careers. As such, there are Magical Academies all over the country, ready to teach the next generation of wizards the intricacies of magic and help them learn how to fully harness their skills._

 _The most prestigious of these schools is the one stationed in the capital city of Crocus; Avalon Academy. Established during the reign of King Alistair IV, Avalon Academy prides itself on its high-level curriculum, state-of-the-art facilities, and their famous alumni. A diploma from Avalon almost guarantees a high position in the wizard world, with many students given the option to join the Rune Knights, Magical Research Bureau, and nearly any magical guild of their choosing._

 _This is the story of one particular student. A young man determined to find his purpose, despite his past mistakes. Of how he would forge friendships that would last a lifetime and a romance that bloomed most unexpectedly._

It was a sunny Saturday as a young man walked through the streets of Crocus. He wiped some sweat from his brown skin, using his other hand to block out the sun from his eyes a bit. His eyes were amethyst, and he had brown cornrow hair that reached the middle of his neck. He was a relatively fit young man, as revealed by his dark blue muscle shirt. The rest of his outfit consisted of long beige pants and forest green sneakers with white socks. On his back was a huge dark green sack with four similar ones in his arms.

'Just follow the signs, he said. You can't miss it, he said.' The young man thought to himself as he continued to trudge through the town, getting strange looks from people as the heavy bags made him wobble a bit. 'I'm starting to think that old guy at the train station was blind. That would explain the cane and the freaky-ass eyes.'

And so, the young man continued on his trek through the city, determined to reach his goal. And soon enough, he saw a compound made up of seven buildings, all of them constructed out of dark purple bricks and metal. Surrounding the place was a forty-mile fence and an elaborate sign in front of the gate.

 _ **Avalon Academy:**_

 _ **Tomorrow's brightest are forged today.**_

'Finally!' He shouted mentally before rushing towards the scanning lacrima controlling the lock. The young man reached into his pocket and pulled out his guest pass. After scanning it, the gates opened and he walked through, taking in the majesty of the academy, passing by a few of the students who were enjoying their weekend off. But soon enough…

"Oh crap!" He heard a girl's voice yell out. He looked up and saw several pieces of paper flying through the air. The brown-skinned man grabbed the papers as they fell before looking around and seeing a girl frantically looking out the window. Said girl had short black hair, a yellow t-shirt, brown shorts, a black headband wrapped around her head with matching wristbands, and squinted eyes.

"Hey, are these yours?!" The young man asked.

"Ya! Stay right there!" The girl said before placing her palms together. As she did this, orange magical energy flowed them before she held it outwards. " _Crystal-Make: Stairs!"_

In an instant, a staircase made entirely out of orange crystals manifested underneath the girl's window, surprising the young man. The girl quickly jumped onto the stairs (revealing that she was wearing a pair of white sneakers) and ran down towards him, grabbing the papers out of his hand.

"You didn't read these, did you?"

"Um...no." He replied. "Your magic is awesome!"

"Oh. Thanks." The girl said before widening her eyes a bit, revealing her black irises. "Hey, I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"Well, that's no surprise. I just got here." The young man said before holding his hand. "Lester Mayfield's the name."

The girl looked at him before smiling and shaking his hand. "Crystal Melon."

"PHHH. R-Really?" Lester asked trying to keep a straight smile on his face, to which Crystal just rolled her eyes at.

"Okay, get it out of your system."

"N-no, t-that's a w-wonderfu…" And that was all he got out before bursting out laughing, holding his sides as he did. Crystal just had a slight chuckle as by this point; she had gotten used to people laughing at her name.

"Oh...I'm so sorry." Lester said, wiping his eyes.

"Soooo...I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're looking for the registration office." Crystal said.

"Got it one." The amethyst-eyed man replied before looking around. "Hopefully there's a map nearby, 'cause this place is ridiculously huge."

"I can take ya there." Crystal stated.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Hey, you saved my manuscript, I help you find your way around the school. We're even." The squinty-eyed girl said before walking ahead. "Come on, this way!"

"Um, right." Lester said before picking up his bags. "But...what about the giant crystal staircase?"

In response, the black-haired girl snapped her fingers, causing the staircase to vanish into sparkles.

"Huh. Neat."

 _ **And then…**_

Within less than ten minutes, Crystal had lead Lester to the registration office, where he was sitting patiently as the registry clerk looked over his paperwork.

"Uh huh. Yup. Ya ha." The apparently tired man mumbled. "Well, Mr. Mayfield. Everything seems to be in order."

After giving the stamp of approval, the clerk then had Lester stand to get his picture taken, the amethyst-eyed man giving a confident smile and thumbs up as it was taken. He then gave Lester his Student ID, which listed his name, age, rank, magic, and school year.

"We should have a dorm room ready for you in two hours. Feel free to leave luggage here. We'll have someone take it to your room." The non-emotional clerk stated.

"Thanks, Mr…" Lester began to say before reading his name tag. "Bartholomew."

"Just call me Bart. Or don't. I don't care either way." The man had said before he went back to reading his Araki Kujo novel.

"Right." Lester replied, not sure what to make of the man's dull presence. "Well, I'll just be on my way."

"You do that."

And with that, Lester awkwardly left the office, Crystal standing there and waiting for him.

"So, everything cool?"

"Yup."

"Awesome! The tour continues!" Crystal enthusiastically stated.

"Wait, who said anything about a tour?"

"Well, I got nothing going on, and you obviously don't know your way around." The bandana-wearing girl said with a cheeky smile. "Might as well give ya the tour."

"You know, that sounds pretty good." Lester replied. "Lead the way, Madame."

"Okay!" Crystal replied before marching forward, Lester following behind her. For the next two hours, Crystal-Make wizard showed her fellow student around the campus. From the dining hall, the indoor gym pool, the library, and the club room building.

"Damn, when they said Avalon A had some of the best facilities in the country, they weren't kidding." Lester commented on.

"Trust me; you ain't even seen the coolest part!" Crystal said with enthusiasm. Lester laughed at his new friend's boundless energy, until he heard something.

"YAAAAAA!" A girl screamed. The two turned and saw a small blue-haired girl in a green & yellow sundress had tripped and fallen face-first.

"There she goes again." Crystal said with a sigh, confusing Lester as she went over to pick her up. The small girl also had brown eyes, as revealed when the black-haired girl helped her up. "You really need to watch where you're going, Wendy."

"I know." The smaller girl groaned before looking up at her friend with a smile. "Thanks, Crystal."

She then noticed Lester watched close by. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that's Lester. He's new to the school."

"Nice to meet a prodigy." Lester said with a smile, confusing Wendy.

"Prodigy?"

"Well ya. I doubt any ten-year-old could get accepted into Avalon." He said, only to be shocked by a cloud of sadness from over Wendy's head and comical tears starting to form in her eyes.

"B-but, I'm fourteen." The tiny girl whimpered, making Lester realize what a horrible mistake he just made.

"Wendy's a late bloomer." Crystal whispered into his ear, making him feel even guiltier.

"H-heh, I was just joking! You're totally a teen!" The dark-skinned man said with his arms flailing comically. "I just joking around! That's what I do!"

"R-really?" Wendy asked.

"Ya! Just some friendly ribbing between fellow students. Ehehehehe." The amethyst-eyed man said with a sweatdrop.

"Oh, right. Of course." The tiny girl replied, now in a much better mood.

"Honestly, child. Can you not go a day without tripping over yourself?" An older female voice asked. The three turned and saw...a small white cat walking on her hind legs, and dressed in a pink & red dress.

"Hey, Carla." Crystal greeted.

"Good day to you as well, Crystal." Carla greeted back.

"HOLY CRAP, THAT CAT IS TALKING!" Lester shouted in shock.

"Don't know it's rude to gawk at the lady?" Carla said with a disappointed look in her eyes. Typically the kind of look a disappointed mother gives to her children.

"Oh, sorry Ma'am." The brown-haired man apologized before bowing. "I'm Lester Mayfield."

"Now, now. There's no need for bowing, Mr. Mayfield." The white-furred cat replied.

"So, not to sound rude or anything, but are you a student too?" Lester asked.

"Actually, Carla's more like my supervisor." Wendy explained.

"Someone has to look out for your well-being, child." Carla replied.

'I can't help but feel like we're getting off track.' Crystal thought to herself. "So guys, I was gonna show Lester the Battledome. Wanna come with?"

"Sure." Wendy replied with a smile.

"I don't see why not." Carla responded. As the four walked towards the aforementioned Battledome, Lester had a smile on his face. He hadn't even been at the school for a full day, and he was already making friends. Well, maybe friends was too strong of a word. Friendly acquaintances was more like it. Already, it was an improvement from his previous school. But more on that later.

For now, Crystal, Wendy, and Carla lead him to the Battledome. And true to its name, it was a dome-shaped building that was the same shade of dark purple as the rest of the campus. Carla then went on to explain Avalon Academy's ranking system. Every student had a numerical rank based on their grades, magical prowess, combat performance. To increase their ranking, students would need to improve on their classwork, complete various combat programs, or challenge other students to faculty-sanctioned duels. As for lowering their ranking, that is done whenever a student breaks a rule, fails a test or class assignment, or loses a duel.

The four entered the dome and saw there was a decent crowd in the bleachers. In the middle of the arena (which had a mana-activated force-field to protect the audience), a male student was running through a gauntlet of hard-light golems. He was a tad shorter than Lester with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, a blue opened vest over a dark blue shirt, long jeans, brown boots with spurs on the back, brown gloves, a red handkerchief around his neck, and a dark brown cowboy hat on his head.

In his left hand was a red pistol that was shooting fire at the constructs, while his right hand held a dark blue pistol that shot ice. As he took down foes, the barrier around the arena was showing his kill count, which was at 143 and rising.

"Looks like Desmond's trying to break his record again." Wendy stated.

Lester squinted his eyes at the mention of that name, before widening them in realization. "Hey, I know that guy!"

"You know the 8th strongest student in the school?" Carla asked.

"You betcha! Hey, Desmon…" Lester started to say, but unfortunately, when he moved forward, he accidentally tripped on the first step. And as if tripped down the stairs wasn't bad enough, he had also hit another student, causing them both to roll down the stairs until they hit the bottom with a loud noise.

"Ow." The girl Lester tripped into groaned as she sat up. She had light red hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and wore the official Avalon Academy female uniform (which consisted of a black knee-length skirt, a purple blazer over a white buttoned-up shirt, white shoes, and knee-length black socks.

"Excuse me, ma'am." The girl looked down and saw Lester's face was crushed underneath her rump. "I'm sorry for falling into you. But would you be so kind as to get off of me? I'm finding it rather hard to breathe."

A few seconds of realization passed before the girl's face became redder than her hair and she quickly stood up with an angry expression on her face.

"YOU PERVERT!" She screamed before kicking Lester into a nearby wall and getting everyone's attention.

"Woah, what the f*&K, Julia?!" Crystal shouted in anger as she, Wendy, and Carla raced down the step, the small blue-haired girl and white cat going to check on Lester while the black-haired girl got up in the redhead's face. "That was an accident!"

"Accident my behind! He was practically breathing on my ass! You expect me to believe that just happened by mere coincidence?"

As Crystal argued with Julia about the many other boys she beat up for acts or 'perversion,' Wendy leaned down towards Lester.

"A-Anyone see that vulcan that socked me?" The amethyst-eyed man asked in a daze.

"Another victim of the Lanchester beat-down." Carla said, shaking her head in disappointment aimed at the redhead as Wendy closed her eyes before placing her hands in front of Lester's face.

" _Sky-Dragon's Healing Wind."_ She chanted, causing her hands to glow light-blue and a small gust of wind enveloped the black-haired man's head, healing his injuries as it passed over him. In seconds, Lester reconstituted himself before sitting upright.

"You know healing magic? Ain't that supposed to be a lost magic?" Lester asked.

"Oh, it's not a big deal." Wendy bashfully replied. Lester then got back up and saw Crystal and Julia arguing. With an angry expression on his face, walked straight up to the redhead, and grabbed her by the collar.

"Okay, what the hell is your deal?!" He asked with a glare. "I said I was sorry and you decide to kick me into a wall?!"

"Get your filthy hands off me, you perverted louse!" Julia yelled out as she reared her right leg back. Lester saw this, and his eyes glowed as he used his magic. So when Julia aimed a kick at his crotch, instead of Lester falling in pain, she ended up crying out and falling as she rubbed her sore leg.

'It feels like I just kicked cement!' The redhead thought to herself before glaring up at Lester and holding her hand out, ready to cast her magic until…

"ENOUGH!" A man shouted, his cane hitting the ground for emphasis. Everyone turned and saw a dark-skinned man in his late sixties in a dark blue pin-striped suit, brown dress shoes, and a black cane which he was currently resting his hands on. He was a goliath of a man, easily towering over many of the students. His dark brown eyes portrayed years of combat experience, same for the serious expression on his scarred face. In fact, the only thing that gave away his age was his short white hair and the slight wrinkles on his forehead.

"Headmaster Gozen!" Wendy cried out, terrified at the sight of the man.

'Wait, Gozen!? As in ex-general Tenma Gozen?!' Lester thought to himself as the man walked down the steps, all of the students bowing in respect as he did (including Crystal and a scarred Wendy).

"You are students of Avalon Academy! You are meant to represent the best and brightest of the next generation!" The large man stated before gazing down on the two responsible for the commotion. "Miss Lanchester, it seems you've assaulted another one of your male classmates."

"B-But s-sir!" Julia shouted, shaking nervously. "H-he's a-a-a…"

"If you say pervert again, I'll have you run the Golem Gauntlet fifty times. Understood?" The man asked, meaning every word. All the redhead could do was nervously nod her head in agreement. The headmaster then turned to face Lester, causing the amethyst-eyed man to sweat profusely.

'The rumors weren't kidding. This guy's scary as hell!'

"I don't believe I've met you before. Would you so kind as to introduce yourself?" Gozen asked with a neutral tone. Lester quickly saluted before he started talking.

"Lester Mayfield, formerly a student of Promiga High! Age; 15! Height; 5'4! Weight; 124! My magic is…"

"Now, now. There's no need for all of that." The older man responded, causing Lester breath a sigh of relief. "Tell me, son; have you had your initial battle assessment yet?"

"No, sir. I've only been here for a couple of hours." Lester replied. Gozen then looked at both him and Julia. He then looked and saw that Desmond had just finished his run at the gauntlet and an idea came to his head.

"Would you be willing to take it now?" He asked. The students began to whisper about how most students usually had three days to prepare for their assessment, but the headmaster asking a newly arrived student to take it immediately, while not unheard of, was a tad unorthodox. Most of the students suspected that the new guy would reject the offer and take the usual prep time.

However, Lester gained a cocky smirk on his face before answering, "Hell ya!", surprising everyone except Desmond.

"Figures that's your answer." The blond-haired man said, getting everyone's attention. "Always gotta be the center of attention, huh?"

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't." The black-haired man replied before turning back to face Gozen. "So, who am I fighting?"

'Okay, where did this come from?' Crystal wondered. Up until now, she pegged Lester as a polite, if somewhat aloof guy. But now, he had an air of confidence and cockiness about him. 'Is he one of those people whose personality changes in battle?'

Gozen pointed his cane at Julia, surprising the redhead and making Lester's smirk widen.

"Looks like today's my lucky day." He said before cracking his knuckles, which only served to tick the redhead off.

"You think you stand a chance against me? I'm ranked #15! There's no way a newbie from the sticks defeat me?"

"You wanna bet on that, red?" Lester taunted.

"Save it for the battle." Gozen stated. The two foes glared at each other before stepping into the arena, the students clamoring in excitement as they did.

"What is that boy thinking?" Carla asked as she sat next to Wendy and Crystal.

"No idea." The bandana-wearing girl said, her eyes slightly opened and staring at Lester (who was stretching his arms above his head). Gozen stood at the edge of the arena before pulling out a gray and green spherical device. After feeding some magic into it, the device started to float in the center of the arena.

"Please present your student IDs!" Gozen ordered. Lester and Julia did just that, and the device scanned them. It then proceeded to fly up above the arena and showed projections of their rankings.

 **Julia Lanchester**

 **Year 3**

 **Rank 15**

 **Lester Mayfield**

 **Year 2**

 **Rank 587**

"He's in the lower five-hundreds?!" Wendy asked in shock.

"He must've had an exceptionally high score on his entrance exam to illicit that kind of ranking." Carla commented. Desmond was also watching from the audience, kicking back in his seat.

'Alright, buddy. Let's see how far you've come.' He thought to himself. Back in the arena, left and activated the mana barrier, which began counting down from thirty. As it did, Lester and Julia stared each other down, ready to go at each other as soon as the countdown hit zero.

'I'll prove that this trollop is just like every other disgusting male.'

'Time to show Avalon what I can do!'

And then the countdown blared as it reached zero. As soon as it happened, Julia held out her left hand and chanted, " _Light-Make: Spears!"_

Seven elaborately designed light-blue spear constructs manifested next to her. The redhead then moved her arm forward, sending the spears flying towards her foe. In response, Lester's eyes glowed again. And right when the spears were close to him, the black-haired man leaped high into the air, dodging the spears and backflipping onto the barrier.

"Time to make a scene!" Lester shouted before using the barrier as a springboard to jump directly to the other side of the wall, touching down feet first before bouncing off of it and to another side. This continued as he moved faster and faster, ricocheting all over the barrier.

Julia was not deterred by this and redirected her spears to give chase. However, Lester's sporadic ricocheting was proving to be pretty useful, as whenever the spears shot in his direction, he quickly leaped away.

"What's the matter, red? Can't hit a moving target?" Lester taunted, which only serve to aggravate Julia even more. She then quickly manifested a throwing dagger construct behind her back, waiting for her chance as her foe keep bouncing out of the reach of her spears. And as he was about to bounce off of a wall with his back facing downwards, the redhead saw her opportunity.

With a quiet chant, she commanded her dagger to fly upwards. Lester saw this in the corner of his eye and quickly activated his magic again. The blade reached its target, but to the surprise of everyone, it simply shattered upon impact with his shirt.

Unfortunately for Lester, this distraction caused him to lose his momentum, and he ended up falling flat on his face, causing a few members of the audience to laugh. However, he quickly leaped back up.

"I'm ok!" He shouted with a smile. However, much to everyone's surprise, Julia started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Lester asked his foe.

"I've discovered your magic." Julia stated, shocking her opponent and the audience. "It's Density Alteration; a magic that allows the caster to alter the density of anything their skin touches from rubber to titanium."

Lester scowled as his foe continued to talk. "You were turning your sandals into rubber to leap and bounce off the barrier walls. And when my dagger hit you, it shattered. It stands to reason that you altered the density of your shirt and turned it into a steel-like material. Am I right?"

The brown-haired man said nothing, causing the blue-eyed woman to laugh again. "Looks like I am. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that to be your magic. And to be fair, you seem to be rather skilled with it. However…"

She then raised her hand, creating twenty more light spears above. "A weak magic like that can only take you so far! I'm honestly shocked you were admitted in with such poultry magic that doesn't even let you attack!" The spears then began to spin rapidly, effectively become hard-light drills.

'Shit! She's going right for the kill!' Crystal mentally shouted in her mind.

"It's time you learned your place, you disgusting excuse for a man!" Julia proclaimed. However, instead of being fearful of the attack, Lester just sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know what's worse. The fact that you're a sexist asshat, or that your insults are so predictable." The brown-skinned transfer student proclaimed, which only served to anger the redhead.

" _Light-Make: Rotating Spears!_ "

And with a flick of her wrist, the flying spears launched ahead.

"Lester!" Wendy yelled out while Crystal looked on in concern.

"Congrats." Lester said with his head down as the projectiles closed in. "You guessed my first origin magic. However…"

 _ **Ole!**_

In a quick slash, the first spear was destroyed, shocking the audience.

"You haven't guessed my second origin!" Lester said with a smirk as the other spears closed in.

 _ **Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!**_

In an instant, all of the light spears were destroyed. And the audience was quickly able to determine what happened. Floating next to Lester was an effigy of a man in an elegant set of dark purple armor, complete with a black cape billowing from its shoulders and a black domino mask on its pale white skin. In its left hand was a rapier with a golden guard and pitch-black blade while its right hand was held behind its back, similar to a fencer's stance. It looked at Julia with its sharp amethyst eyes and a smirk on its face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Lester began to say before gesturing towards the knightly effigy. "Making his Avalon Academy debut, please give it up for my Fighting Spirit; _Amethyst Knight!"_

The now-named figure gave a bow, causing the audience to cheer as Julia shook in anger.

Crystal gave a whistle at this while Wendy and Carla looked in awe. At the bottom of the bleachers, Desmond looked at his old friend with a proud expression.

'So this the result of your training. Way to go, Lester.' He thought to himself, the image of an angry boy replaced by the confident wizard that stood before everyone.

"Don't mock me, you piece of shit!" Julia shouted as more and more light spears began manifest over her. " _10! 100! 1000! Light-Make: Thousand-Spear Rain!"_

And a seemingly endless volley of energy spears began to make its way towards the two. However, Lester showed no fear. In fact, he smiled as the rain of light weapons approached him and pointed his pointer and middle finger ahead. "Now then, let's finish this with some style! _Graceful Flourish!"_

 _ **Ole!**_

With inhuman speed, Amethyst Knight began to swing its rapier to deflect the spears.

 _ **Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!Ole!**_

No matter how many spinning spears Julia manifested and launched at the two, Amethyst Knight deflected every single one of them. Soon enough, Lester began to strut forward, one hand in his pocket and the other hanging freely as his Fighting Spirit continued to block the attacks.

"What was that you said about my magic being weak?" Lester asked the now sweating Julia.

'How...how the hell can he order his Fighting Spirit to deflect that many attacks?!' The redhead asked as Amethyst Knight continued to deflect the attacks. 'His mind would need to process a crazy amount of infor...HIS RANKING! The only way a new student can get a ranking like that is a perfect test score!'

Lester reached closer and closer, but as he did, Julia hardened her resolved, and she held her hand out.

'NO! I won't be intimidated by a lowly man!' She thought before enveloping her arm in magical energy. " _Light-Make: Cannon!"_

A cannon construct manifested on Julia's arm, making Lester stop in shock as energy started to gather within the barrel. However, this only lasted for a moment before he smiled again.

"What the hell are you smiling for?! I'm about to blast you to smithereens!" Julia shouted in anger.

"It's just that's you're aiming at me. And by doing so, you took your eyes off the real danger."

The redhead was confused for a brief second before coming to a horrifying realization. She turned her head and saw that Amethyst Knight was floating right behind her, sword at the ready. In desperation, Julia attempted to quickly turn around and blast the fighting spirit…

 _ **Ole!**_

...but the knightly effigy was faster and smacked her unconscious with the guard of its rapier.

 **Julia Lanchester: KO'ed!**

 **Lester Mayfield wins!**

The crowd (which included Crystal, Wendy, Carla, and Desmond) stood up and applauded the brown-haired man, amazed by the display of skill and magic the new student showed. Lester was surprised by this but smiled anyway, taking a bow with Amethyst Knight copying his movements.

 _And this was where it all began for me. What started a simple plan to improve my life turned into something much more. I had no idea of the battles that awaited me. That this was where I would meet my soulmate. That I would see things that most people my age could only dream of seeing._

 _And it all started here, at Avalon Academy._

 **Author's Note 2: And here it is! The first chapter of my first Fairy Mythos spin-off! But before any asks, I don't plan on making this an ongoing story. Just about thirteen or fourteen chapters. As for where this story takes place concerning the main series, this chapter takes a few weeks before the Fighting Festival Arc.**

 **And yes, we finally see Wendy Marvell folks. And in case you're wondering about her connection to Cait Shelter or why she's at Avalon Academy, that'll be explained in the next chapter!**

 **Next Time: The Big Scoop! Please remember to read, favorite, and review! See ya later!**


	2. The Big Scoop

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 **Before I start this chapter, I should mention a few things.**

 **1). I've changed the name of Lester's first origin magic from Density Alteration to Property Alteration.**

 **2). The crest of Avalon Academy; it looks similar to the Yu-Gi-Oh card Knight's Title, but with the shield being purple and the B replaced by an A.**

 **So what exciting school shenanigans await our heroes? We'll find out, but first, here's the opening theme!**

 _(Opening: Boys and Girls by L.M.C.)_

 _(The sun starts to rise over Avalon Academy before we see Lester and Amethyst Knight standing the roof of one of the buildings.)_

 _Boys and girls, be ambitious_

 _Boys and girls, keep it real_

 _Boys and girls, be ambitious_

 _Boys and girls, keep it real_

 _(We get a montage of Wendy surrounded by wind, Desmond reloading his pistols in midair and firing, Crystal snapping her fingers and creating several crystal spires, and finally, Lester summoning Amethyst Knight to cut up the screen, revealing the story logo; Avalon Academy.)_

 _Ma ni aru doori no_

 _Mainichi no naka dobi dashita_

 _Kimi wa otoko no ko_

 _(Lester quickly runs through the halls and uses his magic to bounce off the walls, rushing to class before Crystal, Desmond, and Wendy join up with him.)_

 _Otona ni narezuni_

 _Demo kodomo demo irarenai_

 _Toki mo arudarou_

 _(We then see a montage of the students in class, being stunned by the various bizarre teachers, a finally the group looking on in shock as Otani is surrounded by his would-be harem.)_

 _Daremo ga isogi ashi de_

 _Sunn de yuku sekai de_

 _Bokura wa nagareboshi ni tachidomatta_

 _(Next, we see still images of an angry-looking Jacob and his crew, Julia glaring, Dan Straight and Mary Hughes standing back to back, Daizo with a vengeful look on his face, and finally an army of training golems with their eyes glowing.)_

 _Yuzurenai mono wo hitotsu_

 _Tatta hitotsu de_

 _Tsuyoku nareru_

 _Kowagari na kimi no te wo hiite_

 _Aruite yuku_

 _Iki wo yomashita_

 _Mukai kaze no naka wo_

 _(Wendy unleashes her Sky Dragon's Roar at a group of training golems, Crystal is forced to summon a crystal barrier before summoning a stampede of crystal animals against Dan and Mary, Desmond evades Jacob swinging his rocky buster sword before launching fire & lighting bullets at the larger foe. Lester and Daizo stare each other down before Daizo launches a massive swarm of plant life and Lester summons Amethyst Knight to slice it up.)_

 _Boys and girls, be ambitious_

 _Boys and girls, keep it real_

 _Boys and girls, be ambitious_

 _Boys and girls, keep it real_

 _(We then see Carla, Headmaster Gozen, Otani and his would-be harem, the Patterson Twins, and finally, Lester, Amethyst Knight, Crystal, Desmond, Wendy, and Carla jumping in front of the school gate, smiling and ready for anything.)_

 _Chapter 2: The Big Scoop_

 _ **Yesterday…**_

 _As Lester turned the tide of battle against Julia, the crowd began to cheer and roar in support of him. Well, except for one person. He was a pale young man with short, combed back blond hair, and green eyes. He bit down on his thumb's nail as he, like his fellow students, focused intensely on the battle before him. However, while everyone else watched Avalon Academy's newest student with wonder and excitement, the pale boy watched with eyes filled with burning hatred._

 _As Lester exited the arena, he was practically swarmed by a crowd of students wanting to congratulate him on his spectacular victory, but the pale young man just walked away. Seething with barely restrained rage as he scurried down the hall, his teeth still clamped down on his nail._

' _It wasn't bad enough that asshole tortured me when we were kids! Now he has to come and f(*k up my school, too?!' He thought as he clenched his other hand so hard the nails threatened to pierce the skin. Yellow magic energy started to pour out of him like steam rising from a kettle. 'Not this time! Lester Mayfield, I'm gonna make your life here a living hell!'_

 _ **The Next Day…**_

As the sun rose over the city of Crocus, the students of Avalon Academy were getting ready for the day's classes. One of these was Lester, who was in the midst of washing his face. Afterward, he took a look at himself in the mirror and gave off a cocky smile.

"I am one good-lookin' son of a bitch," He said before he went to put on his school uniform; long tan dress pants held by a black belt, black dress shoes, a white button-up shirt, a purple tie, and a matching purple blazer with the Avalon Academy crest over his heart.

"And the finishing touches." The new student said as he put on a pair of stylish black framed, rectangular glasses, and a pair of white gloves. And after grabbing his school bag, he took off to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast.

He almost tripped over a rolled up school newspaper, the Avalon Gazette, on his doorstep. 'Glad no one was around to see that,' he thought, picking up the newspaper and shutting the door.

After standing in line to grab some eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, Lester began looking for a place to sit.

"Hey, Lester!" The bespectacled man turned and saw Crystal waving to him, a tired, bleary eyed Wendy sipping on some orange juice, and Carla enjoying a grilled fish. The two human girls wearing Avalon Academy's female uniform, with Crystal still wearing her headband. The cornrow-haired boy smiled as he saw his buddies and took a seat across from the girls.

"Good Morning, guys!" He greeted with a smile.

"Well, someone sounds excited for their first day," The Crystal-Make wizard commented.

"Damn right I am. I worked my ass to transfer here," The amethyst-eyed boy stated before digging into his breakfast. "There's no way I'm gonna half-ass it."

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I'd rather you not use such vulgar language in front of Wendy," Carla stated as she cut her fish with her fork and knife while Wendy just rolled her eyes. While the Sky Dragon-Slayer was too polite to say, it annoyed her that Carla still treated her like she was ten. As the four continued to eat, Wendy noticed something different about the brown-haired man.

"Lester, you wear glasses?" She asked.

"Oh, so you noticed," He replied.

"But you weren't wearing any yesterday. Were you wearing contacts?"

"Naw. My eyes work just fine," he said, much to the confusion of everyone else at the table.

"Then why are you wearing them?" Wendy asked, trying to wrap her head around the boy's odd statement.

"Oh, I've heard of this!" Crystal said with a snap of her fingers. "Some people wear glasses as a fashionable accessory," she turned to look at Carla and Wendy "kind of like me with my headband."

"Yup," Lester replied before pushing the aforementioned spectacles up. "So, do you I pull these off or what?"

Crystal took a closer, actually opening her eyes to do so, before nodding. "Ya, I'd say you do."

"Nice," The bespectacled student replied before going back his breakfast. However, the four didn't notice someone heading towards their table.

"Mornin', Y'all," The four turned and saw Desmond sitting down at their table with a tray of bacon and pancakes. He was also dressed in the male student uniform, but with the addition of his hat, gloves, and handkerchief around his neck.

"Desmond!" Lester said with a smile before holding out his right fist, while Wendy blushed upon seeing the behatted teen. Desmond bumped Lester's fist with his own before they slapped each other's hands, first with their palms, then the backs, and finally waggling their fingers then raising them above their heads with mock explosion sounds.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to ya yesterday," The blue-eyed boy said. "Then again, you did cause a bit of a ruckus."

"Hey, I can't help it if everyone thinks I'm awesome." The Fighting Spirit wizard replied with a cocky smile, which Crystal took note of before speaking up.

"So, Lester, you never did say how you know Mr. 8 himself," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Please don't call me that," Desmond groaned as Lester wrapped his arm around him.

"Desmond and I have been buddies since we were in diapers," The bespectacled boy said as his eyes practically lit up.

Desmond chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm. "We both grew up in Doblin Village. Our houses were right to each other, so our folks thought it would good for us to get to know each other. And the rest is pretty much history." Desmond explained before biting into a piece of bacon.

"Is...is that it?" Crystal asked, confusing the two friends.

"Ya? Why, what'd you expect?" Lester asked with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"I don't know; maybe one of you was bullied as a kid, but stepped in to save each other," Crystal said rubbing her chin. "Or maybe you guys were rivals who never got along until you had a battle that ended with you two finally respecting each other...something like that." The black-haired girl answered nonchalantly as if she was talking about the weather.

Desmond and Lester chuckled before recomposing themselves. "That sounds like something straight out of a teen drama," the blond boy stated as the five continued on with their breakfasts. As they did, Crystal noticed Wendy looking down at her food with a blush on her face, occasionally taking a glance at Desmond. The crystal-make wizard smirked before speaking up.

"Hey, Desmond. Doesn't Wendy look extra-cute today?" She asked, placing her hand on the shorter girl's head.

"C-Crystal!" Wendy stuttered, making the behatted man chuckle.

"Yep. About as cute as a family of bunnies huddling for warmth," He said, making Lester think of said image and agreeing with him.

"I-I'm not…" The Sky Dragon-Slayer said with her entire body flushing red.

"Crystal, please stop embarrassing the poor girl," Carla said, scowling.

"I'm just trying to help her get over her shyness. I mean, come on! One of the few students already in a guild should be more confident."

Lester stared straight at Wendy, his breakfast quickly forgotten. "Seriously?!" he asked in shock as leaned over the table to get a better look at her. "You're in a guild?!"

Still embarrassed, Wendy nodded before rolling up her right sleeve, revealing a light blue guild mark in the shape of a cat with one eye open and a curled tail. "I'm a member of Cait Shelter."

"Never heard of it." Lester stated.

"Well, that's not surprising. We're a small guild stationed near the Northern Woods." Wendy explained.

"Even so, why would you need to go to school if you're already a guild wizard?" The amethyst-eyed boy asked.

"Oh, that's because of Carla," The dragon-slayer stated. "She convinced Master Roubaul that I should attend here."

"Someone needs to make sure you get a proper education." Carla said with a smile.

"Aw, that's sweet." Crystal said before she started scratching the white cat behind her ear. Before Carla could protest, Wendy giggled and did the same with her other ear. Soon enough, the nice sensations made the normally sophisticated Carla purr...well, like a kitten. However, she soon came to her senses and smacked girls' hands away, clearly embarrassed and making everyone at the table share a good chuckle. Afterward, they four headed for their first period classes, Carla returned to maintain her and Wendy's room.

 _ **Later, History with Professor Spencer…**_

The average classroom of Avalon Academy was arranged more like a university lecture hall than a high school classroom. Four ascending rows of desks divided into four sections by three staircases for easier access.

While everyone was walking to their seats and getting their desks ready, Lester stood by the blackboard, waiting for the professor to arrive and tell him where his desk was. And soon enough…

"Lester Mayfield, I presume?" A child's voice sounded. Lester turned around...and then looked down to see a boy about half his size with light orange hair, brown eyes, a dark blue sweater vest over a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, long khakis, and brown dress shoes. By all accounts, Lester thought the short, smartly-dressed boy was a fellow student until he introduced himself.

"Professor Isaac Spencer, at your service!" He said energetically before extending his hand. Lester hid his surprise well as he shook hands with his professor. The orange-haired professor then stepped onto the podium in front of the class.

"Good morning, everyone!" He said with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Professor!" The students replied, some more energetically than others. Lester noticed were some of his female classmates were blushing lightly.

"Starting today, we have a new student joining us. Mr. Mayfield, if you would?" Professor Spencer asked, the brown-haired wizard nodding before writing his name on the blackboard.

"The name's Lester Mayfield. Born and raised in Doblin Village. My hobbies include training, finding new ways to look stylish, categorizing my Alabaster Crowley novels, and hanging out with my buddies," He said before his smile turned flirtatious and he lowered his glasses slightly. "And yes, ladies, I'm single." He said before winking, making a few female classmates blush and giggle. Crystal took note of this, ignoring the blush on her own face.

"Alright, Mr. Mayfield, please take the seat next to Ms. Melon."

Lester did just that, walking up the stairs and sliding next to Crystal, not noticing the inquisitive look she was giving him as he asked a question. "So, is Professor Spencer a prodigy or something?" Lester whispered.

"Nah," Crystal replied, whispering. "Even though he doesn't look like it, he's actually thirty-seven."

"Seriously?!" Lester said before staring straight at Professor Spencer, baffled how an adult man could look like a child. As the orange-haired professor began his lecture, the Property Alteration Wizard's gaze shifted to the front row. He noticed that it consisted entirely of fairly attractive female students making googly eyes at the short man.

Lester went slack jawed at the sight. 'I don't know if I should be jealous or freaked out,' he thought before focusing on the lesson.

 _ **Later, Physical Education with Coach Fuga Subarashi…**_

"COME ON, YOU WORTHLESS PILES OF VULCAN SHIT!" A well-built man with a brown mohawk, matching goatee, and piercing yellow eyes as he led his class to run laps around the campus. His outfit consisted of a black tracksuit and white running shoes while the students were wearing white t-shirts, purple workout shorts, and white running shoes.

"A GREAT WIZARD HAS TO BE STRONG IN BOTH MIND AND BODY! NOW PICK UP THE PACE! WE ONLY GOT TEN MORE LAPS TO GO!" Coach Subarashi yelled, making a few of the students groan, Lester included. Even though he was keeping up a pretty good pace near the front of the pack, he still considered this borderline torture. Not doing so great at the back was Wendy, who was so tired her running had turned into tired flailing before she fell on her face.

 _ **Later, Lunch…**_

"Get me guess, Coach Subarashi, right?" Desmond asked, getting a tired groan from both Lester and Wendy, who had switched back to their regular uniforms. "Figured."

"You know, there's a rumor that he's a Rune Knight drill instructor that retired from active duty to teach," Crystal said, chomping down on a sandwich while writing on a piece of paper.

"That makes too much sense." Lester said as he struggled with getting a slice of pizza into his mouth. But as the amethyst-eyed boy as chatting with his friends, the blond boy from yesterday was watching, his eyes narrowed as he bit down on thumb's nail yet again.

'So that bastard's already made friends with the crystal spinner and the dragon-slayer.' He thought before looking around the cafeteria, smiling when he found what he was looking for. Or rather, who.

A pair of black-haired twins, each of them wearing glasses in front of blue eyes. The boy's hair was kept short while the girl's long hair was tied in a braid. The blond boy walked over to the table and slammed his hand down, getting their attention.

"Oh, Daizo. What's up?" The male twin asked.

"Gio. Gia. I've got your next headline," He said.

In the blink of an eye, each twin had pulled out their own notepad, a blue one for Gio, and a red one for Gia. An inquisitive look shined in the twins' eyes as they stared at Daizo, pens at the ready. "Please, tell us more," they said together.

As lunch ended, Lester and Desmond started walking to their next class, Mana Application with Professor Mica Tomay, while Desmond was telling his friend about Ms. Tomay's most infamous feature.

"No way." Lester stared at his best friend as if he had spontaneously grown a second head.

"I'm telling ya, it's true." Desmond replied, amused by his friend's reaction.

"But… but who even makes an H-Cup?" Lester asked in disbelief. Desmond just shrugged before looking ahead and noticing someone he recognized reached the intersecting hallway.

"Hey, Otani!" The behatted-man stated, getting the attention of a lanky young man with spiky dark red hair and green eyes. The redhead turned and saw the one who called his name.

"What's up, Desmond," The slightly shorter boy said before looking at Lester. "Wait, you're that guy who beat Lanchester yesterday!"

"Yup," Lester said with a cocky smile before holding his hand out. "Lester Mayfield."

"Otani Hiroji." The green-eyed man said as he shook the bespectacled man's hand. "You guys heading to Professor Tomay's class?"

"You got it." Desmond said before Lester leaned in to whisper into Otani's ear.

"Is it true that she's an H-Cup?" He asked. Doing so made Otani reel back.

"I-I w-wouldn't know! I-I don't pay attention to that s-stuff." He quickly spouted out, his face turning red, making Desmond chuckle and Lester raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, Otani. You can't fool anyone with what you go through each day." Desmond stated, making Otani blush even brighter and Lester more confused. Until…

"Otani!" A petite black-haired girl with yellow eyes exclaimed before tackling and hugging him.

"C-Chiyo!" The shy young man cried out as the tiny girl rubbed her head into his chest. "I asked you s-stop doing that!"

"Why? There's nothing wrong with showing my affection." The black-haired girl said with a cute smile.

'A shy guy and an energetic girl. Classic opposites attract.' Lester thought as he and Desmond observed the scene. But to the bespectacled man's surprise, a pair of prominent breasts engulfed Otani's head as a blonde-haired girl with her hair in a ponytail and purple eyes hugged him from behind.

"Good day, darling." The blonde girl said a with a sultry expression.

"S-Sasha!" The continually embarrassed Otani stuttered out while Chiyo got an angry pout on her face.

"What do you think you're doing, Boob-Monster?!" The black-haired asked with an accusatory finger pointed at the blonde.

"Just greeting my future husband, dear Chiyo." She replied, pushing the red-haired boy's head further into her bosom.

'A love triangle?!' Lester thought to himself in shock.

"You can't just claim that Otani as your husband!" Another female voice stated, Lester and Desmond turning to see a girl with dark pink hair in a bun and orange eyes. In terms of physique, she was right in the middle of Chiyo's and Sasha's. She then grabbed Otani's free left hand. "Besides, he already promised to walk me to class."

"I n-never promised t-that, Aime!" The blushing red-haired teen shouted while Lester's eyes widened, fully realizing the situation before him.

'A REAL HAREM?!' The bespectacled man thought in shock as the girls continued to pull Otani back and forth, arguing over who he'd walk to class with, unaware that someone else was watching and approaching them.

"Um, ladies." Desmond intervened, getting the girls' attention. "I think Otani's gonna pass out if you keep doing that."

The girls looked and saw that the object of their affection was sporting a full-body blush with steam blasting out of his ears.

"Otani!" The girls shouted, quickly letting go of him and letting him cool down.

"Sasha!" Everyone turned and saw a tall student with a purple buzzcut and blue eyes approached them, an angry snarl on his face. "What the hell? You're still throwing yourself at this skinny shit?!"

"Jacob, who I 'throw myself at' is none of your concern." The blonde girl said with a stiff upper lip, pissing off the purple-haired teen even further.

'A LOVE PENTAGON NOW?!' Lester screamed in his mind as Jacob approached Otani and lifted up him by his collar. And when he did this, Lester's mind flashed back to years ago, when he did the same to a crying blond-haired boy.

"And don't think you're off the hook, Hiroji!" The taller man shouted. "It's bad enough you got two of the cutest girls in Avalon fighting for your dick, but you crossed the line by getting involved with Sasha!"

"I-I'm not doing it on purpose!" Otani shouted in defense, which only served to make Jacob tighten his grip.

"YOU F*&KING LIAR!" Jacob shouted. "You think you're something special, you little shit?!"

The enraged teen's word struck a chord in Lester's mind, as what Jacob had said was similar to something he said long along.

" _You think your magic makes you special, you asshole?!" A younger Lester shouted before punching the blond-haired boy with enough force to draw blood._

Jacob reared his fist to punch Otani, much to the horror of the girls while Desmond began to reach into his coat, his expression turned serious. In the midst of all this, Lester stepped forward with his head down.

" _Win with style, Amethyst Knight!"_ The bespectacled man chanted before summoning the armored Fighting Spirit. Before anyone could react, the spirit zoomed behind Jacob and grabbed his arm, stopping him from punching Otani.

"I know that look," Lester said, getting Jacob's attention. "That anger you feel when you desperately want to change something. But when it's beyond your control, the only thing that you can do is lash out."

The two stared each other down before Lester continued, pushing up his glasses as he did so. "Take it me from me; that path leads to nothing but shame and regret. So just put the little guy down, and walk away while you still can."

"I'd listen to him, Melville." Desmond said as he pulled out his red pistol, his hand reaching for the safety as he glared at Jacob. The taller man looked at the two threatening him before looking at Otani and then seeing Sasha looking at the redhead with concern.

"You know what?" He said before dropping Otani, glaring at him so hard the shorter boy might have burst into flames. "Kickin' yer ass like this ain't enough. So listen up, ya f*&king toothpick. The Battledome. Tomorrow. After class. 3 on 3. Me and my friends versus you and your bodyguards."

The purple-haired man then turned and walked away, leaving the six there, with the girls helping Otani up and Desmond looking at Lester with concern.

 _ **Later…**_

With a yawn, Lester began to walk back to his dorm room. He decided to take the scenic route, admiring the sun setting in the distance as he did so. It painted the sky in brilliant reds, oranges, and purples, a truly breathtaking sight. It was a nice to know that no matter where he was in this crazy world, he would still be under the same sun and stars. Lester felt truly relaxed.

"So, how was your first day?"

"AHHH!" Lester screamed as practically jumped out of his skin, and then saw Crystal walking next to him. "How long have you been there?!"

"About five seconds." The black-haired girl replied nonchalantly, making Lester sweat drop before sighing.

"It's been quite a day." The cornrow-haired man stated. "I've seen a thirty-year old man who looks like he's twelve, ran thirty laps around the school, saw a real harem, got into a fight with a buzzcut asshole, and learned that yes, they do indeed make an H-Cup."

"Sounds like fun." She replied. Lester thought about it for a moment before chuckling.

"You know what, it actually was." And as he smiled, Crystal more had an inquisitive look on her face, which Lester actually noticed this time.

"What?" Crystal then opened her eyes before giving off a cheeky smile.

"You're interesting." She said before walking away towards her own dorm room. Lester was left there, slightly confused and with a blush on his face. This was for two reasons. First, he had just noticed how pretty Crystal's eyes were. Second, being called interesting was probably the nicest thing a girl had ever said to him.

That night, he returned to his room, thinking about the 3v3 battle he was going to take part in the next day. However, he wasn't too worried. Desmond was the 8th Highest Ranked student and his best friend. He trusted the cowboy with his life, and he was looking forward to fighting alongside him. His mind also briefly flashed back to Jacob, but he shook his head before going to sleep, a smile on his face at the thought of getting another chance to show his stuff.

'Things are finally looking up.'

 _ **In the mail room…**_

Gio put a manila folder into the school's 'Out' mail bin, a satisfied smile on his face. Gia, on the other hand, was leaning against a nearby wall, her mouth in a thin line as she tapped her chin with her pen, red notepad in hand.

"Are you sure we should send it now, I feel like we still could have improved it," Gia said.

"It's fine," Gio said, turning to his sister. "In fact, I think this might just be our greatest article yet." His face broke into a wide grin, his eyes practically sparkling.

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but this will be our first story published outside of a school paper," she said as the twins began walking towards their dorm. "A school paper, even the Avalon Gazette, is peanuts compared to this, so I just want our work to be professional."

Gio chuckled. "You worry too much," the boy said, but his sister still looked worried. Gio grabbed Gia's shoulder. "Hey."

Gia turned to look at her brother.

"Who are the greatest up and coming journalists in the world?" Gio asked.

Gia's face broke into a grin before answering. "We are."

They opened the doors to their respective dorms. "Still, I wish we could've gotten it published in the A.G." Gia said as she entered her room.

"You know the staff would've never allowed to us publish something so scandalous." Gio said just before closing his door.

 _To be continued…_

 **Author's Note 2: And incase anyone was wondering, yes, Professor Spencer is a parody of Negi Springfield along with Otani. But don't worry, I'm not gonna put you guys through pointless harem bullshit (especially since Otani's not the main character).**

 **Next Time: Triple Threat! Please remember to read, favorite, and review! See ya next time!**


	3. Triple Threat

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 _Chapter 3: Triple Threat_

As per usual, the Avalon Academy mess hall was a scene of controlled chaos with hungry students racing to get breakfast. Students subtly pushed and prodded each other as they tried to reach the rows upon rows of delicious food. One of these students was Lester, who was shifting through the line towards the pastry section.

'Come on, come on.' He thought as he took a closer look, mentally cheering as he saw the last blueberry scone. But as he reached out to grab the delicious pastry, another hand tried to claim it as well. Lester turned and saw that the other person was an admittedly handsome young man with fair skin, a slender and athletic build, well-kept white hair, and sapphire blue eyes.

"Oh, my apologies. You can have it." The white-haired student said with a smile.

"Thanks," Lester replied, placing the scone on his tray. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." He said before taking a closer look at him. "Say, you're that Mayfield fellow, right?"

Lester could barely contain his grin. 'It's only my second day and I'm already famous,' he thought as he nodded his head. Lester held out his hand and said "Yup. Lester Mayfield. Pleased to meet you."

"Carlos Ybarra," The white-haired student said, shaking his hand before the two continued to move down the line. "I must say, you've made quite a splash. Not even a week here, and you've already picked a fight with not one, but two of Avalon Academy's top students."

'Wait,' Lester thought in confusion. 'Two of Avalon's top students? I guess Julia's the first, but who's the other one?'

But before Lester could ask Carlos what he meant, he felt someone grab the back of his jacket and fingers brush against his skin. With a less than dignified scream, he quickly turned around and summoned Amethyst Knight. As it turned out, the perpetrator was a short, sallow-skinned girl with messy black hair kept in a loose ponytail, and red eyes with heavy bags under them. The only thing odder than that was this blob of black slime on her left shoulder that Lester swore was growling at him. The thing even had a pair of beady black eyes!

"Easy, Jojo," The girl said in a monotone deadpan as she patted the slime. She looked up and gazed at the rapier-wielding Fighting Spirit with cold, analytical eyes. "1.4 seconds for full manifestation. Impressive."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh… " Lester said while Carlos just pinched his brow.

"You really need to work on your people skills," The white-haired teen said before walking over to the short girl. "Lester, this is my friend, Yuna Tsukino."

"Hello," she said with the same amount of 'enthusiasm' as before, her expression unchanging like carved stone. The slime growled again. "Oh, and this is Jojo, my slimeball." Jojo began to purr like a cat as Yuna stroked its top.

"Well...nice to meet you." Lester said as he dismissed Amethyst Knight and held out his hand.

Yuna stared for a moment before she shook it. "We will destroy you," she said matter-of-factly, still shaking Lester's hand and staring in the right in the eye.

"I beg your pardon?" The Property Wizard asked, pulling his hand away, while Carlos facepalmed.

"Well, thank you for killing off any sense civility we had, Yuna," The white-haired teen said before facing Lester again. "As my friend so eloquently put it, we are your opponents for the day alongside our friend, Jacob."

"Oh, so you're friends with that purple-haired asshole." Lester said with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, his mind flashing back to yesterday's confrontation.

Carlos' expression instantly went from bemused to angry. "That 'asshole,'" Carlos said, his voice carried a biting edge to it. "as you put it, is one of the most honorable men I've ever met. I just came to give you a chance."

"A chance for what?"

"To back out." Carlos said, surprising Lester. "This whole feud is between Jacob and that charlatan, Hiroji. You and Trotter have no business butting in."

"Do I need a reason to stop a bully from picking on someone weaker than him?" Lester asked, his will as hard as steel. "Look, you two seem cool, but that won't stop me from kicking your asses."

Carlos then shook his head and led Yuna away.

A few minutes later, Lester found himself sitting at a table with Crystal, Desmond, Wendy, and Carla. The Fighting Spirit wizard had just finished telling them about his little encounter.

"I'm surprised they confronted you," Crystal said between bites of her chocolate chip pancakes. "Well, Ybarra I can understand, he's pretty outgoing, but that Tsukino girl usually keeps to herself."

"So what can you tell me about them?" Lester asked, his food was barely touched as he'd lost his appetite after his earlier confrontation. "They're not what I was expecting when I envisioned Jacob's friends. I thought they'd be a pair of sniveling yes-men that he keeps around to stroke his ego."

Crystal stroked her chin for a moment. "Carlos is pretty easy to talk about. He's a member of the Avalon Academy Drama Club and he's had a role in every production the school's put on since his first semester. He's a real social butterfly, and he loves being in the spotlight."

Crystal's brow furrowed. "Yuna, on the other hand, is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, stuffed inside a box of introversion and sleep deprivation if the perpetual bags under her eyes are anything to go by. Apparently, she's a member of the Chemistry and Biology Clubs, but the only people she actually talks to are Melville and Ybarra." She leaned over the table to whisper in Lester's ear. "There's a rumor going around that she got permission from the Headmaster to convert her dorm room into a laboratory."

"She's so creepy," everyone was stunned to see that Wendy had spoken up. "I hope I never have to see her again." Wendy was practically shivering as she spoke. Carla was stroking her shoulder to comfort her.

"You've met 'er?" Desmond asked.

"Once, about month into my first year. I was late for my first period, so I was running to class, then I turned a corner and ran straight into her," Wendy's shivers returned with a vengeance as she spoke. "She asked if I was 'the Dragon Slayer.' I was so nervous I just nodded and said yes. She kept staring at me with those creepy eyes and said she wanted to 'study' me. I thought she was going to dissect me right then and there, so I ran back to my dorm and spent the day under the covers." Wendy slammed her head on the table and covered herself with her arms.

Everyone could only stare in shock as Carla tried to calm down the trembling Dragon Slayer.

"O-kay, that still doesn't explain why they're helping Buzzcut pick on Otani," Lester said as he scratched the back of his head.

"'Parrently the three of them are childhood friends, kinda like you an' me," Desmond said as he took a sip of his coffee. "Speakin' of Otani, ya'll seen him? I was hopin' Lester and me could talk strategy with him before the fight."

His answer came in form of a collective shrug.

But later, as he and Lester began walking towards their first period, Aime came running up to them.

"Hey, Specs, Cowboy!" The pink-haired girl said as she approached the two, getting their attention.

"Are you talking to us?" Lester asked.

"No, I'm talking to the other pair of best friends who wear glasses and a stetson hat respectively. Of course I'm talking to you guys! Are you stupid?"

"Hey, watch the attitude, Aime." Desmond said with a slight scowl.

"Oh, you're one of Otani's harem girls!" Lester said, finally recognizing the girl.

"I AM NOT A HAREM GIRL!"

"You're competing with two other women over who gets to ride his dick." The bespectacled student stated plainly. "Pretty sure that's the very definition of a harem. Thus, you're a harem girl."

"How are you friends with this guy?" The pink-haired girl asked Desmond.

"Lots of patience." The dirty blond stated. "Back on track, why did you want to talk to us?"

"It's about Otani. He's really freaking out about today's battle."

"How freaked out are we talkin'?" Lester asked.

 _ **A few minutes later…**_

"So about that level of freaked out." The bespectacled wizard stated as he, Desmond, and Aime stood outside of Otani's locked dorm room alongside Sasha and Chiyo.

"He's been in there all morning." Chiyo explained.

"Nothing we've said has made him want to come out," Sasha said with a pout. "I even offered to let him snuggle my bosom."

"We're trying to get him out, not suffocate him!" The black-haired girl shouted.

"Oh? Do I detect a hint of jealousy, dear Chiyo?" The blonde gal said with a taunt that only an aristocrat could pull off. But that tone didn't last as Chiyo jumped on Sasha and started pulling on her hair, leading to a less than dignified scuffle.

"And this has been my entire morning." Aime stated as she massaged her temples. Lester and Desmond were tempted to walk away before the pink-haired girl turned to address them. "So can you guys try to get him to come out?"

"We'll try," the behatted teen said as he knocked on the door. "Hey, Otani. It's me, Desmond. Lester and I just want to come in and talk, if that's alright with you."

Silence followed for a moment before they heard the sound of the door unlocking.

"Come in." Otani's faint voice came through the door. Lester and Desmond walked in. The girls attempted to follow suit, only for the door slam in their faces and lock them out.

"Why must you be so cold, darling?" Sasha cried out.

Inside the room, Lester made note of its barebone style, not even so much as a poster on the wall. His attention was then quickly drawn to Otani. And judging from the redhead's unruly hair, the shadows under his eyes, and his wrinkled white pajamas, it looked as though Otani hadn't even gone to sleep.

"Sooooo...you doing alright, little guy?" Lester asked.

"No. Not really." The redhead stated. "I couldn't even sleep last night."

"Ya, that figures." Desmond said. "Jacob, right?"

Otani silently nodded.

"Look, I get that he's an aggressive jerk, but why are you so scared of him?" Lester asked.

"Well, he is the Number 3 student." Desmond stated.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Lester's eyes were wide as dinner plates as his mouth hung open at the revelation.

"I've seen him in action myself. Jacob's no ordinary student, or even human. He's a monster." Otani said, his voice trembling with fear. The redhead then proceeded to regale his future teammates about his first encounter with Jacob.

 _ **Three Months Ago...**_

 _He had been at the school for about two months, and going about his day when an explosion blasted the gates open. The perpetrators were a group of teens who were angry about not be admitted into Avalon Academy, claiming that they more than met the school's standard for admittance. Sasha and Jacob were the first ones on the scene, and quickly told them to piss off. But before a fight could break out, a few teachers and Headmaster Gozen intervened. Naturally, the trespassers were smart enough to know that they couldn't defeat the far more experienced wizards and fled._

 _But that was far from the end of it. Late that night, while Otani was on his way to return a book he had borrowed from the library, he heard the sounds of a struggle. He followed those sounds and saw those same delinquents attacking Sasha. She had fought back using her Sonic-Make Magic, but was eventually overwhelmed by their greater numbers. Without thinking, Otani jumped in to help her, only to get his ass kicked as well._

 _He recalled how they spent almost ten minutes beating him around like a rag doll. But soon the wind around them began to blow, and Jacob came down, carried by his wind magic. And Otani remembered the look in his eyes as the purple-haired teen saw the injuries they inflicted upon Sasha. He didn't even say anything as the largest trespasser threw a punch. The tall teen caught without batting an eye. With no words, not even an incantation, Jacob's wind blasted the delinquent into a nearby wall, his body covered in large gashes from Jacob's wind blades and bleeding profusely. He glared at the rest of the trespassers and said two words._

" _Leave. Now."_

 _And they did just that, leaving with soiled pants and one of them half dead. The next day, while Otani was recovering in the school's infirmary, Sasha arrived, claiming to have been moved by his act of selfless heroism, saying that he had won her heart, much to his confusion. And along with that confusion came the daily threats from Jacob, pretty much confirming his feelings for the blonde._

 _ **Now...**_

"I never wanted this," Otani cried out as he pulled on his hair. "I came to this school so I could learn to control my magic. I never wanted to get caught in a messed up love triangle or fight a psychopath!"

While the redhead was freaking out, Lester and Desmond stood where they were, pale and panicked from Otani's story. And on the other side of the door, Aime and Chiyo, who were listening in, were petrified. Sasha, on the other hand, had a look of melancholy on her face, the memories of that night flooding back into her mind.

For the next few minutes, Lester and Desmond just stood silent, unable to think of anything that could calm their smaller associate. But then, Lester couldn't take the silence any longer, and went over to the panicking redhead.

"So what?" He said, confusing Desmond and Otani. He then stood the shorter teen up. "Are you just going to stay in here and hope he forgets about the battle? If this guy's been harassing you for months, what makes you think he won't find you in here and kick your ass?"

"But...but I…"

"Trust me. Guys like that…" Lester began as he scowled, . "...they never know when to quit. Not until someone comes along and beats some sense into them."

Desmond's eyes widened at this words, his mind recalling when Lester attempted to pick a fight with an elderly man in a bowler hat. And how that meeting changed the course of his best friend's life.

"Lester's right, he's just gonna keep at this 'til you make him stop," Desmond chimed in.

"Are you guys serious?!" Otani practically screamed. "Jacob's insanely strong! Maybe you guys could stand a chance, but I…"

Otani was brought out his thoughts when he felt Desmond put a hand on his shoulder.

"Otani, I dunno where this negative attitude of yours comes from, but it definitely ain't for you." The behatted man said. "I've seen it before. You might be tiny, you got more guts than guys three your size have."

"What're talking about?"

"When you saw that Sasha was in danger, you didn't hesitate for a second! Even though you were outnumbered and outgunned, you charged ahead."

"And so what if Jacob's the big bad number 3?" Lester stated. "I took on the number 15 student and won. Rank doesn't automatically guarantee victory."

Otani looked at the two in stunned silence while he remembered that night. 'Desmond's right,' Otani thought as confidence began to fill his heart. 'I didn't hesitate for a second when I saw that Sasha was in danger. And even though I got my ass kicked, I'd do it again if I had the chance.' Otani clenched his fists. 'I'm tired of being scared of Jacob, tired of the constant insults and harassment, but not more!'

"We're gonna be by your side the whole time. So you're not going in alone." Desmond said with a reassuring smile. If Otani's heart was filling with confidence before, it was overflowing with it now. And for the first time in hours, his worries fade away. He took Desmond's hand and shook it.

"Thanks, you guys." He said with a smile. But as he did so, Lester could've sworn that there was a slight blush on his face, but dismissed it as he gave his own smile.

"No problem, man." The Fighting Spirit wizard said before holding his fist out. His fellow students smiled and bumped fists with their comrade.

And then there was knock at the door.

"Otani, darling," Sasha's voice came floating through the door. "I think I can be of some help."

"For the last time Sasha, I don't want to snuggle your boobs," Otani said, exasperated, as he buried his head in his hands.

Sasha sighed. "It's not that, darling. I wanted to help you, and Mr. Mayfield and Mr. Trotter with your fight today. I can't be on the battlefield with you, but I can help you strategize."

Reluctantly, Otani got up and went to the door. "You promise you won't bury my head in your chest if I let you in?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

'Well, she's never broken a promise before,' Otani thought as he opened the door and let Sasha inside…

And then locked it behind her before the rest of his harem could get in.

"STUPID BOOB MONSTER!" Chiyo screamed while Aime slumped against the wall in defeat.

 _ **And then…**_

After Otani had showered and gotten a proper meal, everyone proceeded to their classes for the day. After that, the three boys met up and were headed for the Battledome when…

"Mr. Mayfield! Mr. Trotter! Mr. Hiroji!" The three turned and saw Professor Spencer walking towards them.

"Lemme guess; yer' supervising our fight, aren't ya, Professor?" Desmond asked.

"You're astute as ever." The childlike professor said with a smile.

"Supervising?" Lester asked. Spencer nodded before elaborating.

"You see, since Avalon's ranking system is partly determined by combat performance, battles between students need to overseen by at least one teacher or staff member. Furthermore, we evaluate and decide how much a student's rank rises or lowers based on various factors."

"Your rank probably spiked up when you beat Julia," Desmond said.

Lester thought about it and realized that Headmaster Gozen must've been the supervisor for that duel, even if he didn't say anything.

"But that's not the only reason I wanted to catch up to you gentlemen. If you'll please follow me," Spencer said. The three did just that as the diminutive professor led them into another room inside the Battledome.

"Hot damn!" Lester shouted. Inside of said room were walls lined with suits of red armor of various sizes. Each set of armor consisted of a helmet that wrapped around the sides and back of the head with an open face and top with a visor across where the eyes would be, a chestplate that covered the front and back, shoulder, forearm, thigh, knee, and shin guards, and gloves. It came along with comfortable looking white shirts and pants to wear under the armor.

"Since this a team battle with various volatile magics, both teams are required to wear this armor for their protection." Spencer explained before heading out of the room. "Your opponents are already in the other armory. So don't make everyone wait too long."

The small man left, leaving the guys alone with the armor.

"Not gonna lie, the armor is kind of reassuring." Otani said as the three began to change into their armor. As they did so, Lester noticed what looked like black tattoos on the redhead's right shoulder. He couldn't make out the exact shape, but figured it wasn't important.

A few minutes later, the three began walking down the halls and towards the arena. While they all wore the same armor, Desmond had added holsters for Tango and Waltz, along with belt rack with moon clips that loaded with bullets.

They arrived and saw that the stands, while less crowded than during Lester's match with Julia, were still pretty busy. Jacob, Carlos, who had sheathed rapier resting on his right hip, and Yuna, with Jojo riding on her shoulder, were already standing in the arena. All three decked out in blue armor. Standing in the center was Professor Spencer holding the Scanning Lacrima.

"I see you didn't heed my warning." Carlos stated as the red-clad team walked into the ring.

"You're damn right, I didn't." Lester said as he cracked his knuckles while Jacob silently glared at Otani. The smaller boy swallowed nervously.

'We can do this,' Lester thought as he took a calming breath. 'We have a strategy, and we're not going to let Sasha's advice go waste.'

 _ **That Morning…**_

 _Sasha sat in a chair facing Otani, Lester, and Desmond, her face pensive and tight._

" _First," she began "you should know that Jacob, Carlos, Yuna, and I were all childhood friends."_

" _Seriously?! You were friends with that asshole?! Guess that explains why he's so obsessed with you," Lester said bluntly._

 _Sasha's gaze shifted to her feet. "We've known each other since before we could crawl. We were always together so it's only natural we became friends," She spoke softly, an air of fondness and nostalgia in her voice._

" _But that doesn't matter right now." Sasha stared straight at the three boys, her gaze hard as steel and voice devoid of its former tenderness. "What's important is that I can help you strategize."_

 _The three boys gave Sasha their full attention, silent and rigid as stone._

" _Jacob's Cyclone Magic makes him the most dangerous of them. Your best hope is to take him on three to one after taking out Yuna and Carlos and try to overwhelm him," Sasha explained. "Carlos uses Sword Magic but doesn't know re-quip, so if you get his sword away from him, he's out of the fight. Yuna's a bit trickier. Jojo, her slime, is alive and she fights with it, but it cares more about her than fighting. If you knock Yuna unconscious, Jojo will certainly withdraw from the fight to protect her, leaving you three alone."_

" _Well, it's not much, but at least we're not heading into this fight blind," Lester said as he turned to his future teammates. "I guess I should tell you about my magic."_

" _Isn't it Fighting Spirit Magic?" Otani asked recalling yesterday's encounter._

" _Yeah, but Amethyst Knight is only my Second Origin. My First Origin is Property Alteration. If I'm touching something with my skin, I can change its physical properties. I could make a pillow as hard as stone, or a brick bouncy like a rubber ball. Not sure how useful it'll be, but it's good for you to know."_

" _You know me, Guns Magic_ _is my bread an' butter. I use Waltz and Tango to shoot ice & fire mana bullets," Desmond explained._

" _What about you?" Lester asked as he looked towards Otani._

 _The redhead looked away and started twiddling his thumbs. "My magic, it's nothing like yours, it's…" Otani hesitated for a moment, clenching his fists. "It's plain old Earth Magic, nothing special about it."_

" _Don't sell yourself short, it ain't what magic you have that matters, it's how ya' use it," Desmond with a pat on the shorter boy's shoulder._

" _Thanks, Desmond," Otani said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm going to take a shower and get some breakfast."_

" _Oh, darling," Sasha said as she was suddenly very close to her self-proclaimed fiance. "Would you like me to help you?" She then unbuttoned her blazer and the top two buttons of her blouse._

 _Lester and Desmond then quickly pulled her out of the room before she could give Otani another panic attack._

 _ **Now...**_

"Everyone, please present your student IDs!" Professor Spencer said, the six students doing just that as the Scanning Lacrima did its job.

 **Red Team:**

 **Otani Hiroji, Year 1, Rank 2367**

 **Lester Mayfield, Year 2, Rank 345**

 **Desmond Trotter, Year 2, Rank 8**

 **Blue Team:**

 **Jacob Melville, Year 2, Rank 3**

 **Carlos Ybarra, Year 2, Rank 23**

 **Yuna Tsukino, Year 2, Rank 22**

"Now before we start, let me lay down some ground rules," Spencer said. "No fatal magic, no curses, and no aiming for the privates. Aside from that, anything goes. Good luck, everyone!"

As the small professor left the arena, the mana barrier went up and the countdown began, the six student wizards ready to duke it out.

"Kick their butts, Otani!" Chiyo cheered from the stands.

"Do your best!" Aime shouted.

Sasha remained silent as she looked on, conflicted about this battle. On the one side was Otani, whom she had become so enamored by his selfless heroism. On the other side of the battle were the three people she'd know since the day she was born. Three people who had been her friends just a few months ago, who she thought she had an unbreakable bond with. That all changed when Sasha declared love for Otani, that he was her future husband and one true love.

They had told her time and again that it was a stupid idea. That she barely knew him and that what she was feeling was nothing but admiration, not love. But she insisted that they were wrong, that what was feeling was true love. Soon the wedge between them had widened to the point where they barely even spoke to each in class.

As she looked on at the battlefield, a memory, a promise made long ago, but still as clear as day, came to the forefront of her mind.

" _We'll always be together, and nothing will ever, ever make us stop being friends. And Sasha, I'm going to get strong! I'm going to get really, really strong so I protect you and be your knight. That's a promise! Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"_

'Jacob,' Sasha thought as the combatants prepared themselves. 'Is this, all of this, because of that promise from our childhood?'

Soon enough, the countdown finished, Jacob cast the first spell of the match.

" _Cyclone Fist!"_ With a forward punch, the green-haired teen unleashed a blast of swirling wind that the red team was forced evade by leaping. But Desmond was quick to recover, pulling out his pistols and aiming.

" _Blaze & Frost Bullets!" _With a pull of the triggers, the elementally charged bullets flew towards Jacob. However…

"Let us dance, Iris." Carlos said with a calm smile as he unsheathed his rapier and jumped in front of the Cyclone Wizard. " _Rainbow Saber: Verde."_

As he chanted, the blade radiated a green aura, and with a single swipe of his sword, a barrier materialized in front of him. The two bullets hit the barrier, exploding into bursts of ice & fire, but their targets were unharmed.

Otani attacked next, stomping his foot on the ground and sending a wave of stone at the barrier. It shattered, and Lester took the opening.

" _Win with style, Amethyst Knight!"_ The brown-haired student chanted, summoning his Fighting Spirit. With impressive speed, the knight effigy launched ahead towards Jacob and Carlos.

" _Rainbow Saber: Violeta."_ Carlos chanted, the sword's aura changed from green to violet. With fine precision, he parried Amethyst Knight's attack. But as he do so, violet energy cascaded off the blade, and the effigy momentarily blinked out of existence.

"What the f(*k?! That sword can disrupt magic too?!" Lester exclaimed in both shock and confusion, unaware of Yuna dashing towards him, with Jojo crawling up her extended left arm.

" _Engulf."_ The black-haired girl chanted, black magic circles spinning in her eyes. With a growl, Jojo launched ahead, rapidly growing as it flew through the air. The black slime splattered around Lester and began to engulf his entire being, much to his displeasure.

"EWEWEWEW! WHY IS IT MOIST?!"

"Hang on, buddy!" Desmond said before aiming Tango at Yuna. However, Carlos saw this, and changed his blade's color to indigo with a quiet incantation. His body was enveloped in indigo mana and he blasted towards Desmond with blinding speed.

" _Guns Magic: Blaze-"_ The dirty-blond began to chant before Carlos arrived and knocked the red pistol out of his hand.

"Carlos, Yuna. You two handle the side dishes." Jacob said as he walked towards a sweating Otani. "I want the main course."

"S-stay back!" Otani said. He held out his hand and stones went flying towards his foe.

Jacob held out two fingers, a green magic circle appearing before him.

" _Cyclone Cutter!"_ A dozen blades of pressurized wind cut through the rocks like a storm of knives and continued on towards Otani. The smaller teen barely had time to dodge the small projectiles which left shallow cuts in his armor.

As this battle continued, Professor Spencer was jotting down notes on the six wizards-in-training.

"Don't bother struggling," Yuna said as Lester continued to do just that. "Once Jojo has you in her grasp, you'll never break out."

"And you shouldn't underestimate me!" Lester said as Amethyst Knight recovered from Carlos' Disruption spell. The knight effigy charged towards its master, rapier at the ready.

" _Graceful Flourish!"_

 _ **Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!**_

In an instant, Amethyst Knight had reduced Jojo to shreds, freeing Lester.

"So what're you gonna do without your slimeball, huh?" The bespectacled man taunted with Amethyst Knight brandishing its weapon.

"You really don't know anything about Attack Slime Magic, do you?" Yuna calmly asked as the pieces of slime began to wobble. "Jojo and I are mentally and mystically connected. As long as I have mana in my body, she won't be down for long."

Tendrils of black slime shot from the ground, grasping both Fighting Spirit and caster. While this was going on, Desmond was barely dodging Carlos' sword swipes. It was clear that close quarters combat was not the gunslinger's forte. He did have one advantage, an advantage that earned him his ranking; he was incredibly unpredictable, which he demonstrated by aiming Waltz at the ground between himself and Carlos.

" _Frost Bullet!"_ With a quick pull of the trigger, an explosion of ice forced the dueling opponents to separate. With the swordsman distracted, Desmond ran, grabbed Tango, and aimed it at Carlos.

" _Guns Magic: Blazing Bullet Frenzy!"_ With trained speed, the dirty blonde unloaded the remaining bullets in the clip, all eleven projectiles heading straight for their target. The resulting explosion sent Carlos careening into the Mana Barrier.

Sadly though, Otani wasn't doing as well as his teammates. No matter how much stone he tossed at Jacob, the purple-haired student would either dodge or cut through them with his wind magic. It was less like a battle between two wizards, and more like an apex predator wearing down its prey.

In the stands, Aime, Chiyo, and Sasha were nearly trembling as the watched Otani, but Crystal noticed something odd about the small teen.

"He hasn't said a single incantation," Crystal stated, much to Wendy's confusion.

"So you noticed it too." Carla chimed in. "That explains why his stone magic is so fragile."

"Wait, what are you talking about? And how can you even tell? I can't hear what they're saying." Wendy asked.

"It's their lips, child. Whenever that brute Jacob casts a spell, his lips move. He's clearly chanting the incantation," Carla said without taking her eyes off the battle.

"On the other hand, Otani's lips have only moved once since the fight started. Without the incantation to solidify the spell, it can't maintain itself. Silent spell casting only works if the caster uses an excessive amount of mana, or they have the spell down cold." The Crystal Wizard stated.

Jacob was preparing to launch another Cyclone Fist at an increasingly tired Otani until…

" _Guns Magic: Frost Bullet Frenzy!"_

Acting on instinct, Jacob surrounded himself with wind and used it to deflect Desmond's enchanted bullets, with left geysers of ice on the walls of the mana barrier.

"Otani ain't your only opponent, Buzzcut." The dirty blond stated as he quickly reloaded Waltz. Jacob scowled for a second before he looked behind the Guns Wizard.

"And I'm not your only opponent!" He asked with a smirk.

" _Rainbow Saber: Amarillo!"_ Desmond heard before he was struck by a bolt of lightning. Behind him, Carlos had gotten back up, his sword's aura now yellow.

"Sorry about that, Jacob. I needed to catch my second wind." The white-haired teen said with his usual smile. "No pun intended."

"Just keep him occupied." Jacob said before turning towards the frightened Otani once more.

Meanwhile, Lester and Amethyst Knight were still being smothered by Jojo. The purple-eyed teen had tried cutting the Attack Slime to ribbons, but every time that happened, Yuna would either put it back together or just increased its size.

'Come on, Lester, think! This thing's gotta have some weakness!' The brown-haired man thought. After struggling for a moment, an idea popped in his head. First, he withdrew Amethyst Knight, which let more of Jojo surround him. He then took a big breath, closed his eyes and plunged his head into the black slime, to Yuna's confusion.

'That's right. Get a good grip on me.' Lester thought as the slime began to touch his face. And after gathering the needed mana within him, he cast his spell.

" _PROPERTY ALTER: DRY AND BRITTLE!"_ Starting from the slime around his face, the gooey mass began to dry out, becoming chalky and brittle. And with a powerful yell, Lester thrust his arms and head up, shattering Jojo to dust.

"JOJO!" Yuna shouted, the barest hints of rage and concern in her voice. "What did you do to her?!"

Lester ignored Yuna's cries as he ran up and punched her in the face. He quickly turned around and saw Desmond avoiding Carlos' sword swipes and Jacob blasting Otani into the barrier. Figuring that his old friend could handle the swordsman, Lester ran to help Otani as Jacob prepared another attack.

" _Come forth, Amethyst Knight!"_ Lester chanted, re-summoning the Fighting Spirit. He then commanded the knightly spirit to charge ahead. Jacob saw this, and was ready to react.

" _Cyclone Wall!"_ The purple-haired teen chanted, conjuring a swirling wall of wind around him.

" _Graceful Flourish!"_ Lester said as his Fighting Spirit began its attack.

 _ **Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!**_

So began a clash of rapid rapier jabs and swirling winds, with neither wizard slowing down for a second. As this was going on, Otani slowly got back up, and watched the battle unfold.

"You're really going out of your way for a little shit that doesn't deserve it!" Jacob exclaimed.

"So what? Does he deserve getting his ass kicked because you're jealous?" Lester stated. "Look, I get seeing someone you like being into someone else sucks, but that's no reason to be a dick!"

Jacob's eyes widened and wind around him grew stronger. His scowl deepened before more magical energy flowed around him. With a sudden burst of wind, Amethyst Knight and Lester were pushed back.

"Got you!" Yuna shouted, having recovered from the punch a moment ago, with Jojo returned to her gooey state. With a new flow of magic, Yuna turned Jojo into a wave of slime and launched the slime at Lester and Amethyst Knight once more.

"Oh, crap! Not again!" Lester screamed in fear, commanding his Fighting Spirit to continually slice up the Attack Slime, attempting to keep it at bay.

"How do you do it?" Jacob asked as he approached the tired and beat up Otani. "How do you keep tricking people into liking you?"

Otani looked up, tears welling at the corner of his eyes. "I...I don't…"

He was silenced by another one of Jacob's Cyclone Fist.

"Tokoyami and Suzumi weren't enough for you!" He shouted, referring to Aime and Chiyo by their last names before smashing Otani with another Cyclone Fist. "You just had to have Sasha too!"

"I… I… " Otani tried to force the words out of his mouth, but the fear and pain kept them stuck in his throat.

"She's convinced you're some kind of noble hero! Why? You got your ass kicked!" Jacob snarled as his winds seemed to whip around him in reaction to his emotions.

Unbeknownst to Jacob, the black tattoos on Otani's shoulder began to squirm and grow as the redhead as buffeted by increasingly violent winds.

At the same time, Desmond was unable to help as he was still battling with Carlos, and Lester was barely keeping Jojo from engulfing him again.

"We had a good thing going! Me, her, Carlos and Yuna! And then you came and f*&ked it up!"

In the stands, Aime and Chiyo watched the savage beating in horror while Sasha had tears running down her eyes. Wendy was trembling uncontrollably, Carla was attempting to keep an even look but failed, and Crystal scowled at this unfair fight, looking down towards Professor Spencer and wondering why he didn't call it off.

"And somehow, you convinced two chumps to protect you from the ass kicking you deserve!" Jacob shouted as he used his Cyclone Magic to toss Otani into the air before knocking him back down, causing the smaller boy to vomit. As this happened, the tattoos had grown to cover his entire back and began moving up to his neck.

"How did you do it?! WHAT THE F*&K MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!" Jacob screamed the rage that had been building inside him for months finally coming out all at once. Otani struggled to get back up, his body wavering left and right as he did, blood running down from his mouth.

'Otani,' Desmond thought as watching the redhead, when Carlos suddenly rushed him.

" _Rainbow Saber: Azul."_ Carlos chanted as his sword was covered in a blue aura. He swung and the gunslinger's legs were encased in ice. The swordsman then knocked the guns out of Desmond's hands and held Iris to his throat, though it was protected by the armor.

"Don't be sorry for him." Carlos said with a scowl. "This is what Hiroji deserves."

'Shit!' Lester thought to himself as he saw Jacob walking towards Otani. In his mind, he remembered a similar scene playing, with him in Jacob's spot and a blond boy in Otani's. He clenched his fist as he felt his mana continually being drained by Amethyst Knight keeping Jojo at bay while Yuna looked at Otani, anger in her eyes.

As Jacob walked towards Otani, winds howling around him, something strange happened, something that shouldn't have happened.

Otani… began to laugh.

'What the hell? He's laughing?!' Lester thought to himself, being just as confused as everyone else.

"Are you laughing at me, Hiroji?!" The purple-haired teen shouted in rage.

"Actually, yes, I **am!"** Otani replied, his voice carried venom and menace that cut through the air like a knife. " **You think beating the shit out of me is going to get your blonde bitch back?"**

"What's going on with Otani?" Aime asked. "He was trembling a minute ago, but now he's acting all… weird?"

"It looks like he's talking to Jacob, but I can't hear what he's saying." Chiyo said as the fighters' voices were muffled by both the barrier and Jacob's wind.

" **Although, if I'm honest, you can have her! Hell, you can have Aime and Chiyo too! You'll be saving me the headache!"** Otani shouted before he looked up at his foe. While still injured from the earlier beatdown, there was no longer any shred of fear left in the redhead's eyes. In fact, he was smiling. But this wasn't a smile of happiness. This was a smile befitting a demon.

'This...this isn't right.' Lester thought to himself. Yuna was also stunned by Otani's sudden outburst, causing Jojo to stop its attempted attack.

" **Day in and day out, I have to put up with three catty bitches arguing over who gets to ride my dick. It's infuriating!"** Otani shouted as his tattoos started crawling up the right side of his neck, inching closer and closer to his eye. " **But you know what's more irritating than that? Having to deal with the all the jealous dickheads who don't have the balls to confess to the girls they like. And you're the most aggravating one of them all!"**

'I knew something was off with this guy.' Jacob thought as his brows furrowed and he grit his teeth. He conjured more wind and surrounded his arms with it.

" **But you know what?"** Otani said as his expression went from angry to amused. " **I've been thinking of letting Sasha down softly, but after this match, maybe I'll finally take her offer and F*(K her just to spite you!"**

"SHUT UP!" Jacob shouted as launched a Cyclone Fist at his foe, only for Otani to dodge with speed and agility that shouldn't have had.

" **She's thrown herself at me so many times over the past few months. There was even one night where night where she pulled me into her room and put my hand on one those overgrown udders of hers!"** The redhead taunted.

" **Honestly, I don't see the appeal. They're just giant fleshly bags of fat."** Otani stated, which only served to anger Jacob further, the taller teen continually blasting wind while the shorter teen evaded, laughing at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Otani?!" Desmond shouted. Otani's eyes widened for a moment before he looked at the Bullet Wizard. His face morphed into an unreadable expression.

" **Although,"** the redhead said with a wicked smile. " **I guess it's a matter of taste really."**

Desmond grit his teeth.

While he was distracted, Jacob came in delivered a powerful spin kick to Otani's face, sending him flying across the arena.

The redhead got up and stared at the Cyclone Wizard, and everyone looked on in horror and fascination. His right eye, edge to edge, was pitch-black, the only other color being the inhuman glowing blue pupil at its center.

" **I hope you savored that sneak attack, Jacob. Because that's the last time you'll ever lay a hand on me."** Otani said as he held out his arms. A dark yellow magic circle appeared in front of each hand before it started to travel up his arms. When it passed, Otani's arms had changed from flesh to dark stone, and his fingers had morphed into unnatural looking claws.

'What…" Carlos thought.

'...the hell…' Yuna thought.

'Is he?!' Lester thought while Desmond looked on in disbelief.

" **AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Otani's laughter reverberated across the arena as a sinister mana radiated from his body. " **GET READY FOR ROUND 2, BITCH!"**

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Author's Note 2: A little taste of things to come! And it seems that Lester isn't only student with a dark secret.**

 **Next Time: Dance with the Devil! Please remember to read, favorite, and review! See ya** **next time!**


	4. Dance with the Devil

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 _Chapter 4: Dance with the Devil_

Suffice to say, things had gone to hell in a handbasket. At first, it seemed that the worst thing Lester and Desmond had to worry about was getting their asses kicked. Now, that was the least of their worries as the crazed Otani charged ahead at Jacob like a man possessed. The redhead attempted to slash his foe with a downward swing, but the purple-haired teen quickly pushed him back with a small burst of wind.

" **What's the matter, Jacob? Scared to take a hit?"** The crazed teen asked tauntingly before he slammed his stone claw against the floor. A magic circle then appeared underneath Jacob, and the purple haired teen was sent flying into the air by a giant fist of stone. Jacob then used his wind to right himself midair and control his descent.

As the two continued to fight, the rest of the combatants were left watching, unsure of what to do. For Carlos and Yuna, they did have faith that their friend could beat Otani, but that faith was shaken by the redhead's sudden bout of insanity and increased magic power.

As for Lester and Desmond, they really had no idea how to react to this recent turn of events. On the one hand, they didn't really care if Otani beat the crap out of Jacob, but on the other hand, the redhead's sudden change in personality disturbed them greatly. And they weren't the only ones.

In the stands, the girls looked on at the match with terror, concern, and uncertainty.

'What...what is this magic?' Wendy thought. Her body shook with terror as Otani continued to try and rip Jacob to pieces with his claws.

Crystal's eyes were wide as she observed and tried to analyze the fight. 'There's no way this is regular Earth Magic!'

'Otani… what happened to you?' Chiyo asked herself, for she was certain the boy she loved with all her heart would never act this way.

Tears began to form in Sasha's eyes. She felt like she was being torn apart as she watched the love of life try to tear her childhood friend to pieces. 'Otani, Jacob,' Sasha thought as she continued to stare in almost morbid fascination 'why is this happening?'

'I have to end this, now!' Jacob thought as he evaded another claw swipe. He then began to channel wind around both his arms once more before bringing them together, creating a ball of raging wind in front of him.

" **Ooo, that looks impressive!"** Otani stated as he started to conjure his own spell. " **Well, since you've shown me your trump card,"** Otani's face contorted into a wicked, inhuman, bloodthirsty smile. " **I'll show you mine!"**

The crazed redhead then smashed the stone floor with his fists. A magic circle formed in front of his mouth and the stone fragments flew into his mouth, turning to dust as the passed through the circle.

The sight forced Wendy to do a double-take.

Carla turned to her in shock. "Wait a second! Isn't that-"

" _Grand Cyclone!"_ Jacob screamed before unleashing a colossal torrent of wind at his foe.

In response, Otani let out an ear-splitting shriek, and what could only be described as a torrent of black stones flew from his mouth. It collided with the Grand Cyclone, the explosion of magical feedback was powerful enough to shake the arena and created a cloud of debris that shrouded the two from everyone's sight.

In the midst of the confusion, Desmond took the opportunity to strike. He socked Carlos in the nose before the flamboyant swordsman even had a chance to react. Next, he turned towards Lester and pointed at the ice still encasing his legs. Getting the message, the bespectacled wizard leaped towards his teammate, focusing his magic in his right fist.

" _Property Alter: Harden!"_

"Shit." Yuna cursed, realizing she taken her eyes off her foe for too long, psychically ordering Jojo to engulf the two.

Lester shattered the ice around Desmond's legs with a swing of his enhanced gauntlet. And while they were a little numb from their frosty confinement, Desmond still had enough control to roll towards Waltz, pick the blue pistol up and aim it at the oncoming slime.

" _Guns Magic: Frost Bullet Frenzy!"_ He shouted before unleashing the remaining bullets at Jojo, trapping the slime in a tomb of ice, much to Yuna's dismay.

"You damn ruffians!" Carlos scowled, wiping some blood from his nose as he got back up. He then held Iris upright and was about to charge at them, when suddenly…

" _AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_ Sasha's scream cut through the air of the Battledome, stopping the four combating teens. They then turned back to and saw that the dust cloud around Otani and Jacob was gone. And before them stood the gruesome sight that made Sasha scream.

They later learned that after their colliding spells exploded, Otani had charged at Jacob with one of his claws at the ready. Jacob, of course, was unable to make out his opponent in the midst of the cloud of dust and was unable to dodge the redhead's attack. Otani reared his right claw back before stabbing Jacob's abdomen with enough force to shatter his armor and pierce his stomach.

And that's exactly what the combatants, the audience, and Professor Spencer saw when the dust settled. Jacob, with a claw in his stomach, rapidly losing blood, and in shock from the pain. And Otani, his eyes still overflowing with bloodlust, and a sick smile on his face.

" **Hurts, doesn't it?"** Otani taunted, his foe barely being able to say anything due to the overwhelming pain he was in. " **Oh, come on, Jacob! Don't tell me one stabbing is enough to shut you up. I mean you could at least call me a…"**

"YOU MOTHERF*&KER!" Carlos screamed as he charged at Otani, Iris at the ready. " _RAINBOW SABER: AMARILLO!"_

" **SHIT!"** The crazed redhead cursed, pulling his arm out of Jacob's stomach before dodging Carlos's sword. Otani growled, and prepared to strike the swordsman with his right arm when...

" _Capture Chain."_

Without warning, eight silver magic circles manifested around Otani. Dozens of glowing silver chains shot out from the circles and wrapped around the redhead, rendering him completely immobile.

"The f*&k?!" Lester asked in confusion while Otani struggled against the chains.

"That's enough for today." The combatants (save for Jacob, who was still groaning pain) turned and saw the barrier around the arena dissipate. Professor Spencer began walking towards them with a silver magic circle in front of his right pointer and index finger.

The other noticeable thing about the young-looking professor was that his usual jovial expression was nowhere to be seen.

"Mr. Ybarra, Ms. Tsukino, please take Mr. Melville to the clinic immediately." The bespectacled professor ordered.

"Right." Yuna said as Jojo finally broke free from Desmond's prison of ice. The black haired girl then ordered her Attack Slime to carry Jacob and the three were soon off.

" **Oh, you midget f* &k!" **Otani screamed, struggling against the chains as Spencer approached him. " **Who do you think you are, you baby-faced, bottle sucking motherf* &ker?!" **

"Now, now, Mr. Hiroji. There's no need to be so hostile." The orange haired man replied before placing his left hand in front of Otani's face. "Just relax and… _Sleep."_

A purple glow enveloped Spencer's hand and Otani's head, and in seconds, the raging redhead was fast asleep, his black markings and claws slowly receding.

"Professor… what the F*&K?!" Lester asked.

The diminutive teacher turned towards his student. "Mr. Mayfield…"

"No, seriously: what the f*&k?! What the hell happened to Otani?! What kind of bulls*&t Earth Magic did he use?! And why did it make him go insane?!"

Desmond said nothing, but the same questions were swirling around in his head.

Spencer stroked his chin in contemplation for a moment before turning towards the sleeping Otani. "I'm sure Mr. Hiroji can provide you will all the answers you need when he wakes up." The small man then walked out the arena, Otani's sleeping form suspended by Professor Spencer's chains following behind him.

Lester and Desmond were left alone the arena as students began to quickly exit their seats. They stood in an uneasy silence, still in shock over and unable to process what had just transpired.

 _ **And then…**_

It had been almost an hour since the end of the battle, and Lester, Desmond (the two had changed out of their armor and back into their uniforms), Crystal, Wendy, Carla, Chiyo, and Aime were waiting outside of Otani's room. Sasha had gone straight from the Battledome to the clinic to check on Jacob.

"Soooooooo….anyone know a good joke?" Chiyo asked, resulting in Carla smacking her the head with a riding crop she pulled out from...somewhere.

"Time and place, child!"

"I still can't believe how nuts Otani went." Crystal said before turning to Lester and Desmond. "He probably sounded as crazy as he looked, right?"

"You guys didn't hear him?" Desmond asked.

"I don't think anyone really heard whatever he said." Aime replied. "The barrier makes stuff like talking hard to hear, plus the noise from the battle didn't help."

Lester and Desmond shared a look, and silently agreed to not repeat the awful things Otani said while he was… possessed felt appropriate. As time went on, two of the girls were in contemplative thought.

Wendy couldn't shake the uneasy feeling Otani's magic had given her.

As for Aime, this had not been the first time she had seen her friend in this state. Nevertheless, that didn't make seeing it today any easier.

Soon enough, the doors opened and Otani, now back to normal, exited with Professor Spencer right behind him.

"Hey, guys." The shy redhead greeted them.

"Otani!" Chiyo shouted with tears in her eyes before hugging him. The redhead looked and saw his friends and associates looking at him with mixed looks of worry and caution.

"Okay dude, spill; what in the name of the Firsts was that back there?!" Lester asked with all the subtlety and finesse of a sledgehammer.

Otani said nothing in response, merely looking at Aime, who knew all too well what was wrong with him, and Professor Spencer, who had just spent the last hour returning him to normal before speaking up.

"What you guys s-saw in the arena i-is why I came to Avalon. E-ever since I was a k-kid, w-whenever I use too much of my m-magic, I… I just go berserk." The redhead said, his body shaking nervously.

"It's not unheard of for developing magic to have a negative effect on a young wizard's mind." Spencer explained. "And unfortunately, Mr. Hiroji is one of the worst cases I've ever seen."

The short teacher then turned to address the other students. "I advise you all to return to your dorms for the night. And Mr. Mayfield, Mr. Trotter, don't worry about your rankings. If a duel is interrupted the participants' rankings remain unchanged."

'That's the last thing I was thinking about.' Lester thought before looking at Otani and others. "Well, good night...I guess."

The amethyst eyed teen walked off and soon everyone began to do the same. Aime pulled the crying Chiyo off of Otani and dragged her away, Wendy and Carla walked back together to their room, and Crystal followed after Lester. This just left Otani, Professor Spencer, and Desmond, the latter of them placed his hand on the troubled redhead's shoulder.

"Look, man. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here for ya."

And with that, the behatted man left, leaving Otani and Professor Spencer behind. And for a brief second, Otani felt at peace knowing his...friend was there for him.

"I know it's not my place to judge, but are sure you don't want to tell them the truth?" The diminutive professor asked.

"It's bad enough they already saw me like that. By the Firsts, I almost killed Jacob." The redhead said before looking down at Spencer. "You said you'd help me keep my magic under control?"

The short man nodded, giving Otani his answer.

'Aime, Desmond. Once I have everything under control… I'll tell you everything.'

 _ **Hours later;**_

 _ **The Clinic…**_

Jacob was resting in one of the clinic's beds fast asleep, the pain medication he'd been had forced the large teen to give into sleep.

Carlos and Yuna sat next to Jacob's bed watching over him. Carlos's eyes were red from crying, and while Yuna's face remained an impassive mask, her hands had started shaking like leaves when they first entered the clinic and hadn't stopped until an about an hour ago. Even Jojo was concerned for the purple haired teen and was curled up on the pillow next to Jacob's head.

Outside the clinic's door, Sasha stood with her back against the wall, her emotions brewing like a stew of guilt, anger, sorrow, and regret. Gripping her arms, tears rolled down her cheeks as she berated herself for being unable to step inside and check on her childhood friend. She'd been standing in that same spot since she'd arrived, but couldn't work up the nerve take another step.

 _ **Carla and Wendy's Dorm…**_

"185, 186, 187," Carla said as she counted her brush strokes of Wendy's hair. This was their nightly ritual, Carla would brush Wendy's hair exactly 200 times while the blue haired girl would read a book or magazine, or write in her diary. It was supposed to be a happy little ceremony that would help them both unwind from the day's stress, but tonight Wendy had just sat there, a far-off look in her eyes.

Unable to take it any longer, Carla stopped brushing and spoke up. "What's wrong, child?" Her voice was stern yet kind.

Wendy flinched at the unexpected comment. "Oh, it's nothing. I think I'm just tired." She said nervously.

Carla's eyes narrowed, Wendy shrank under that white cat's gaze. "You are a very bad liar Wendy. Now tell me the truth."

"Okay, okay." Wendy said. "It's just…" she gripped the hem of her skirt. "I was thinking about Otani, and what he did during the fight."

"Well, it certainly was scary. He was more like a wild animal than a human once he caught his second wind. For what I've heard, he's almost as shy as you, so I don't think anyone could have seen that coming."

Wendy nodded.

Carla raised an eyebrow. "But that's not all, is it?"

"The magic he used, there's no way it was just normal Earth Magic," Wendy began in a shaky voice. "Those claws, that breath attack, and eating his element; it reminded me of Dragon-Slayer Magic."

The white cat sighed. "You know, I was thinking the exact same thing. Do you think that Hiroji boy could be a Dragon-Slayer as well, child?" She asked softly.

"He has to be, there's no way he could do what he did if he wasn't." Wendy replied. "He obviously wants to keep it a secret, so I won't confront him about it."

Carla nodded in agreement and resumed brushing. "188, 189, 190-"

"Carla." The white cat stopped once more at the sound of Wendy's voice. "Do you- do you think what happened to Otani, could happen to me? " Tears were welling up at the corners of the blue haired girl's eyes as she asked her question.

To say Carla was shocked was an understatement. "Certainly not, you would never-"

"But you said it yourself, Carla!" Hot tears burst from Wendy's eyes like a broken dam. "Otani is just as shy as me, so if he can go berserk like that, whose to say I can't? Just because it hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it can't." She tried wiping the tears from her eyes, but they just kept coming. "I'm scared Carla. I don't want that happen! I don't want to hurt my friends, but I don't know how to stop it if it does!"

Carla was in complete and utter shock, but even so, she knew what she had to do, the only thing she could do. She embraced the girl and whispered kind words into her ear as she rubbed her back. They stayed like that long into the night, until the blue-haired girl had cried herself to sleep.

 _ **Desmond's Dorm…**_

Desmond stared at the moon through his open window, thinking about the day's events. In particular, Otani's sudden bout of insane, gleeful, bloodlust during their fight.

What was going through the redhead's mind? Could his magic really be what caused him to go berserk? His and Professor Spencer's explanation seemed to make sense, the Guns Wizard had certainly heard stories of people's magic going out of control, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't quite add up. During the fight, Otani had acted like a completely different person, his personality going from a shy and nervous yet kind and selfless, to some sort of cruel and sadistic monster; it was like he had been possessed.

Desmond grimaced. 'Something just isn't adding up.' But, no matter what he thought, all Desmond really wanted was for the redhead to be okay. He was too kind and sweet to be put through this much crap.

This train of thought led Desmond to recall when he first met the shy redhead, how he'd been so shy and jittery, and how embarrassed he was over the girls fawning over him. But underneath that shyness and insecurity was courage that Desmond couldn't help but admire.

'Otani really needs to be more self-confident. He's brave, smart, cute, and always tries his hardest.' Desmond thought to himself. 'Wait, cute?!' The dirty blond suddenly felt his cheeks heat up.

'Oh, f*&k.' He thought as he placed his hand on his face.

 _ **Crystal's Dorm…**_

Crystal sat at her desk, writing notes and ideas in a leather notebook. As she did so, she thought back to Lester. As they walked towards his dorm, he was mostly quiet. And even though the Crystal-Make Wizard had only known him for less than a week, she could tell that it out of character for him.

She also felt bad because Otani's turning crazy gave her inspiration for a story, but she was struggling about whether or not it was alright to use a mentally disturbed classmate as the basis for a character.

 _ **Lester's Dorm…**_

Lester practically fell on his bed as soon as he entered his room, the events of the day leaving him physically and emotionally exhausted. And as he fell asleep, he prayed to whatever deity would listen that the remainder of his stay at Avalon Academy would be less hectic than the last two days.

Boy, was he in for a surprise.

 **Author's Note 2: Don't worry. The next chapter will be much more light-hearted.**

 **Next Time: L-O-V-E! Please remember to read, favorite, and review!**


	5. L-O-V-E

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 _Chapter 5: L-O-V-E_

It had been three days since the disastrous Three-on-Three battle, but life seemed to have returned to normal for the students of Avalon Academy. Jacob had been released from the clinic, although he now apparently wanting nothing to do with either Otani or Sasha.

As for Lester, he was getting ready for the day. He'd gotten showered and dressed and was giving himself a once over in front of the mirror, but if he was being honest, he wasn't feeling too hot. The past few days had been difficult, to say the least. Lester couldn't get the image of Otani stabbing Jacob in the stomach out of his head. Guilt gnawed at his insides like a vicious parasite.

The logical part of his brain told him he wasn't to blame, but that was drowned out by the emotional part of his brain screaming he could have done something to stop it.

The violet-eyed boy splashed water on his face and dried it off. He looked in the mirror and saw the dour look on his face.

'Ok, Lester, you can do this. Get your game face on.' He slapped his cheeks and put on his best and brightest smile, ready to face the day.

The violet eye boy opened the door to pick up today's copy of the Avalon Gazette, and was taken aback to see a bouquet of Orange Lilies next to the paper.

He picked up the bouquet and found a note that read ' _I'll see you soon.'_

A warm blush spread across his cheeks at the thought of secret admirer, but he wasn't particularly interested in pursuing romance right now (at least that's what he told himself.)

He put the note in his room and took the flowers with him along with the newspaper.

'Maybe Crystal will like them.' The bespectacled teen thought to himself as he headed to the mess hall for breakfast. On the way, he met up with Desmond, followed by Wendy and Carla. The Property Alter wizard showed them the bouquet, telling them that he had a secret admirer.

Desmond and Wendy seemed really excited, the blue haired girl was almost vibrating; Carla, on the other hand (or would it be paw?) was scowling.

"Aw, what's the matter, jealous you don't have an admirer," Lester said teasingly, a shit-eating grin on his face. "No need to be such a sourpuss."

Carla's scowl only deepened. "Never refer to me as a 'sourpuss' ever again. Besides, considering the variety of flower you've received, I don't believe I've got anything to be jealous of."

"Huh," Lester exclaimed, befuddled. Desmond and Wendy appeared just as confused as the Property Alter wizard.

Carla sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose before explaining. "In the language of flowers, every combination of colors and species carries a different meaning; the Orange Lily symbolizes feelings of intense hatred." The white cat explained. "It's more than likely that those flowers were left as a declaration of war rather than a declaration of love."

"Sooooo don't give these to Crystal. Gotcha." Lester replied, sending a wary look at the bouquet.

Unbeknownst to Lester, Desmond and Wendy were sending strange looks to each other at the violet-eyed boy's choice of words.

Meanwhile, one rather overexcited student was busy handing out flyers.

"Excuse me, sir!" A teen with crimson hair, magenta eyes, and sharp canines said as he approached another male student. He then held out a pamphlet with a yellow flower like symbol surrounded by a diamond on the cover. "Would you like to a take a moment to talk about Lord Zento and the Church or Zentopia?"

"No, thanks. I'm good." The male student replied before heading off.

"Alright. Have a blessed day." The crimson-haired teen said before noticing a female student passing by. "Pardon me, mam! Have you heard of the Church of Zentopia?"

"Actually, I have." The girl said before pulling out a necklace with a blue hammer pendant. "But I'm already a member of the Justicia Sect."

"Ah, I see. In that case, carry on, sister." The male said with a smile as he got out of her way.

"Have a blessed day!" The girl said as she left.

"And you as well!" The male student replied before sighing.

'A whole semester and still no new members.' He thought to himself before looking down on the pamphlet for the Zentopia club. He then looked to the sky and began to pray.

"Lord Zento, what am I doing wrong? Am I coming on too strong or is it just bad luck? Please, O' Grand Explorer! Show me a sign!"

And in an act of pure coincidence, the young man chose to follow a random stream of sunlight. And when he followed it, his eyes led to Crystal, writing on a notepad as she went along. The crimson-haired teen's heart began to beat erratically and his cheeks turned red.

"Thank you, Lord Zento! You have truly blessed me this day!" He proclaimed before bursting into a run.

 _ **At that exact same moment…**_

'Even though she knew that victory was far more crucial than her own feelings, Soleil couldn't help but worry about her dear Terran.' Crystal thought to herself as she wrote down the next chapter of her story-in-progress.

"Hey, Crystal!" The black-haired girl's attention was snapped as she saw Lester, Desmond, Carla, and Wendy walking towards her, the blue-haired girl waving at her.

"Morning, gu-" Crystal began before she let out an undignified scream suddenly when, out of the blue, the crimson-haired teen appeared before her.

"Such beauty. KAPOW!" He shouted before overdramatically gripping his chest, making Crystal open her silver eyes in shock.

"Huh?" Desmond exclaimed in confusion.

"What?" Wendy and Carla chimed in.

"The fuck?!" Lester shouted.

"Such incredible beauty!" The strange teen proclaimed, getting on his knees and smashing his fists against the floor. "It's as if love's arrow shot me straight through the heart but it just keeps beating stronger and stronger! It's almost too much for me to handle, but I can't get enough!"

He then shook the still stunned Crystal's hand, the air around him beginning to sparkle. "And what do they call this loveliness?"

"Um… Crystal."

"Crystal!" He shouted once more. "I just can't take it! Crys-TAL!"

The increasingly strange teen then shred some random tears from his eyes. "Stunning perfection has a name. By the way, my name's Dan."

"… what's going on?" Wendy asked, too confused by the stranger's antics.

"I think that guy's hitting on Crystal." Desmond replied as he scratched under his hat in confusion. And as soon as the Gun Wizard said that, Lester felt an unfamiliar anger bubble up inside him, his Property Alter Magic subconsciously altering the bouquet in his hands.

"This seems less like courtship and more like a mental breakdown." Carla commented as Lester walked towards the lovestruck weirdo.

"Nice to meet you, I guess." Crystal replied, not really sure what to say or even what as going on, especially since in response, the weird boy spun with joy.

"That voice, those eyes, those lips, that hair, that chest, that waist, those legs!" Dan shouted. "The perfect fibonacci sequence in human form! Love on two legs! Beauty personified!"

And it was then that the strange teen known as Dan did the most bizarre thing yet, and that was saying something.

"L-O-V-E!" He shouted, shaping his body for each letter in sequence. "Spells LOVE!"

"WAIT WHAT?!" Crystal shouted, only now just realizing what Dan was saying.

"TRUE LOVE!" Dan shouted, his hands forming a heart. However, he then felt someone tapping his shoulder.

"Excuse me." Lester calmly said, getting Dan to turn around. And before anyone could react, the bespectacled teen smacked the crimson haired youth in the face with the bouquet of orange lilies, which now had the same properties of an iron boot, knocking Dan to the floor.

"What are those flowers made of?" Dan groaned out before looking up and glaring at Lester, who was giving out a glare of his own. "And just who the hell are you?"

"Someone who gets pissed off at gaudy shits like you." Lester grumbled before dropping the lilies and cracking his knuckles. "You can't just walk up to a girl you don't know and spout out nonsense."

"Nonsense?!" Dan shouted before slamming his forehead against Lester's. "I spoke from the heart, you jackass!"

"Then your heart is stupid and so are you!"

"How dare you!" Dan proclaimed before pulling a glove from nowhere and smacked Lester in the face with it.

"You wanna go, casanova?!" Lester shouted as Amethyst Knight manifested behind him, looking just as pissed off as its caster.

"Yes, but not here." The crimson-haired man replied. "After classes are done for the day, we'll settle this like gentlemen with a duel. And the winner…"

He then gestured to Crystal as if he was presenting a new magi-mobile. "… gets the distinguished honor of courting the lovely Crystal."

Upon hearing this, Crystal's expression became unreadable, her eyes closed once again. But in an instant, a blue crystal spike manifested inches in front of Dan, shocking the two men out of their glaring.

"Now you listen here, Danny-Boy." Crystal said with a more serious tone than her friends had ever seen. "I'm not some trophy to be won. Understand?"

"Y-yes!" Dan responded while Lester's eyes widened.

'Geez, Crystal can be scary.'

"But surely there is some task I can perform in order to win your affections, right?" The crimson-haired teen pleaded. Crystal thought about for a second before a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Alright, I'll humor you. If you do one thing for me, I'll go out with you."

"Deal!" Dan shouted like an enthusiastic puppy. "What would have me do, my darling?!"

"Oh, it's pretty simple." Crystal said, her smirk becoming more and more mischievous. "You just need to become the number 1 student by the end of the semester."

And the black-haired girl believed that she had put an end to this nonsense, since becoming the top-ranked student of Avalon Academy was a feat that only a select few had ever achieved. They would need to have perfect grades in all of their classes, an unblemished attendance record, and have flawless combat skills. Essentially, they would need to be the perfect student!

'I can tell what kind of student he is, and there's no way he'll pull it off.' Crystal thought to herself, congratulating herself on such a clever plan. 'He's a goofball and a horndog. There's no he'll-'

"Oh, is that all?" Dan said as he pulled his Student ID out from his pocket and opened it, revealing his rank.

 **Dan Straight, Year 3, Rank 1**

"...that...that's a gotta be a fake, right?" A shocked Crystal asked while Dan continued to smile.

"Wha...but...how the...that's impossible!" Lester shouted, his brain almost short-circuiting at this news.

"This can't...what?" Carla said, her brain almost as broken as Lester's.

"Oh, wow!" Wendy said, more impressed than stupefied.

"Well, I'll be damned." Desmond stated as he scratched his head. Then again, it's not like the student rankings were public. The only way the students knew who had what rank is if they witnessed a fight or if the student loudly boasted about their ranking.

"So, will you go out with me?" Dan asked the stunned Crystal.

"...okay."

"Fantastic!" The crimson haired man exclaimed with a celebratory jump. "I know this fantastic little cake shop on Asimov Street. Let's say after class?"

"Okay."

"It's a date then!" Dan proclaimed as he walked to his first class with a spring in his step, leaving the shocked Crystal and her friends behind.

 _ **And then…**_

"...and so, with negotiations breaking down between Tarune and Necrozia, King Deran the 3rd set up a meeting in neutral territory…"

As Professor Spencer continued his history lecture, Lester scooted towards Crystal, who had her head in hands.

"So you wanna tell me what the hell that was this morning?" The brown-haired teen asked in a whisper.

"I didn't think he was a freakin' savant!" The crystal-spinner replied.

"You could just cancel it." Lester said, making the black-haired girl glare at him.

"But then I would be going back on my word." The gray-eyed girl said with a neutral expression. "And a Melon never goes back on their word."

"Well… maybe you can make an exception."

"Why are you so concerned about this?" Crystal asked before a look realization came upon her face, followed by a mischievous smile that Lester picked up immediately.

"What?"

"Why, Lester. You wouldn't happen to be jealous, would you?"

Lester's cheek suddenly turned red before he faced away from her. "Pfft, ya right."

"Excuse me! Mr. Mayfield. Ms. Melon." The two turned and were suddenly aware of Professor Spencer and the rest of their classmates looking at them. "I know it's common for teens to flirt, but could you at least wait until after class for that?"

Hearing that turned Lester's face an even deeper shade of red while Crystal giggled at him, along with a few of the other students.

"W-wait a s-second!" Lester shouted. "We weren't flirting!"

"Rrrrrrriight." Professor Spencer replied before going back to his lecture.

 _ **And then...**_

'Stupid Crystal. Stupid Dan.' Lester grumbled to himself as he was walking the halls, classes being over for the day. 'I'm not jealous. And I mean why would I care who she goes out with? We've only known each other for two weeks.'

Her smile and eyes flashed in his mind before he shook the images out of his head.

'I AM NOT JEALOUS! Why would I be? I can get a date whenever I want!' He mentally motivated himself with a clenched fist. 'I'll show those two! I bet there's a ton of girls who'd love to go out with me!'

 _ **One attempt later…**_

"Um...I already have a boyfriend."

 _ **Six attempts later…**_

"I can't let anything distract me from my studies."

 _ **Thirteen attempts later…**_

"Sorry, but I like girls."

 _ **Twenty-seven attempts later…**_

"You're way too skinny for me."

 _ **Thirty-one attempts later…**_

"ARRRRRGH!" Lester shouted as he kicked a trashcan into the air, freaking out several nearby students. "What the hell is up with the girls at this school?! It shouldn't be this hard to get a date!"

The Fighting Spirit Wizard's frustration was well justified… at least to him. After all, he was the mysterious new transfer student who made a big splash by beating a high-ranked student on his first day. And with some seriously cool magic if he did say so himself. Not to mention he was a pretty handsome dude.

That was the reason behind his anger. Not the fact that Crystal was going out with weirdo Dan.

'I just need to keep soldiering on. There's gotta be at least one girl willing to go out with me.'

The bespectacled teen looked around for girls and saw a black-haired girl from behind sitting on a bench. With a smile on his face, Lester ran his hands through his cornrows and walked towards, putting on his best 'charmer' face.

"Why hello, little lady." He said as he approached the bench. "Now why is such a lovely gal all by herself on such a lovely day. Why you look like you could use some compaaaaa…"

Why did Lester stop? Well, it's because he saw a familiar looking pile of sentient slime glaring at him from the bench. And when the girl turned, it confirmed his fears; he had just hit on Yuna. A realization that led to several seconds of awkward silence as the two looked at each other.

"… well, I have to go… anywhere else." Lester said as he started to turn. But suddenly, he felt someone grab his sleeve. He turned and saw Yuna looking at him with dark and frightening eyes.

"Wait, I want to talk to you." Yuna said in her usual monotone, although there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Jojo seemed poised to strike at a moment's notice.

'Okay, okay, okay,' Lester thought as he tried to swallow his fear. 'We're on campus, surrounded by teachers, so she _probably_ won't do anything to hurt. If I just talk to her, she'll let me go.'

"Alright," he said with a nervous smile. Yuna motioned for him to sit down, and so he did.

"Why did you fight alongside Hiroji?" She asked, a strange, unknowable look in her eyes.

"Well," Lester started, scratching the back of his neck. "I saw someone being bullied and hurt by someone bigger stronger than themselves. I could've just stood back and let it happen, but something inside me told me to step in, and I listened."

Lester looked at Yuna with a sorrowful expression, eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry Jacob got hurt. As much as I hate the guy, he didn't deserve to get skewered by Otani." The purple eyed boy held his head in his hand and sighed. "I would have stopped him if I could, but none of us knew he would go berserk like that."

"It's fine," she said, much to Lester's shock. "What happened wasn't your fault. None of the blame for the incident falls on you or Trotter." Yuna gripped the hem of her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white, although her face remained a neutral mask. "It's all Hiroji's fault."

Lester tried to speak, but Yuna was faster.

"Since the beginning of our Second Year, Hiroji has caused Carlos, Jacob, and myself nothing but anguish and melancholy." While her voice was stable, steady and monotone as always, her red eyes were a storm of emotion. "That boy managed to steal Sasha away from us. That alone was unforgivable; but now I despise that cretin more than I thought possible."

"Hey!" Lester yelled as he stood up. "Otani didn't 'steal' her! Sasha is her own fucking person, not a thing for you and your buddies to own; you can't blame Otani for what she does."

"But he can be blamed for manipulating her like a puppet." Lester froze at Yuna's statement.

"What…" He said, dumbstruck.

"Sasha didn't hear what Hiroji said during our match, but you certainly did."

He stood there for a moment, looking at Yuna as she looked back at him.

"What's going on here?" A prim and proper voice cut in.

Lester turned to see Carlos and Jacob carrying heaps of snacks in their arms and scowls on their faces.

"Nothing, Yuna and I were talking and we just finished," Lester tried to sound confident, but he was shaken and couldn't meet their eyes. "Bye."

And so, Lester walked off, leaving the group of friends behind.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Desmond and Wendy were walking down the halls after making a quick snack run, the Sky Dragon Slayer was munching on a candy bar that Carla would usually never allow to eat.

"Do you think Crystal's gonna be okay?" Wendy asked out of concern for her friend.

"Eh, she looks like she can handle herself." Desmond said as he popped a piece of fruit taffy into his mouth. "Besides, Dan might be a little screwy, but he seems pretty harmless."

"I guess." The blue-haired girl replied. As the two continued to walk, they saw a certain familiar redhead turning a corner.

"Otani!" Desmond said with a smile, getting the Stone Wizard's attention.

"Oh… hi, Desmond." Otani replied with a small bit of hesitation as the two approached him.

'Now's my chance! I should just ask him if he's secretly a Dragon Slayer!' Wendy thought to herself, that possibility has been at the back of her mind since witnessing Otani go nuts. But her curiosity was clashing with her overwhelming politeness. 'Come on! Just open your mouth and ask him!'

"Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it?" Wendy ended up asking, the two boys agreeing with her. 'Dammit!'

"...well, I should get a headstart on my homework." Otani said before Desmond placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Otani, you don't have act so awkward around me." The dirty blond stated.

"I know but…"

"But nothin'. Look, man…" Desmond began with a kind smile on his face. "Like I said, if ya' need anyone to talk to, we're here for ya', I'm here for ya'."

A light blush appeared on Otani's face as well as a smile. "Thanks, Desmond."

Wendy looked at the two and noticed that two had a certain… feeling around them. The Sky Dragon-Slayer thought about it for a moment before realizing that she had seen something like this with her guildmates; specifically, ones who were romantically involved. And upon this realization, Wendy let out a small squeak.

"Something wrong, Wendy?" Otani asked.

"N-No, nothing's wrong! Nothing at all!" The embarrassed girl quickly replied with a red face.

"Are ya sure?" Desmond asked. "'Cause you look pretty red."

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Wow! You weren't kidding about these cakes!" Crystal proclaimed as she took a bite of some pound cake.

"I told ya." Dan said as he enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake. The two had arrived at a little cake shop called 'Short & Sweet.' They were dressed casually; Crystal wore an orange t-shirt, jean shorts & black sandals; Dan wore a blue buttoned-up shirt, khakis, and brown shoes. "So, why don't you tell me about yourself, Crystal?"

"Eh, there's not really that much to know about me." The black-haired girl replied. "I got into Avalon through a scholarship, and I want to become a writer like Kemu Zaleon. What about you?"

Dan's face split into a huge grin. "I am Vice President and a founding member of Avalon Academy's Zentopia Club! Our duty is to spread to word of Lord Zento across the land so others may find his teaches and take them to heart and better themselves."

Crystal was awestruck by Dan's impassioned speech, she couldn't help but applaud. "Dan, that was incredible; you speak with such force and clarity, it was like you were talking straight to my soul."

The crimson-haired teen's cheeks turned as red as his hair. "Really. Thanks, you've really got a way with words yourself."

"But," Crystal said, an inquisitive look on her face. "What is the Zentopia Club, what do you guys do?"

At those words, Dan deflated. Crystal had never seen someone so dejected, it was like watching all the air escape from a balloon.

"Are… are you okay?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm fine," Dan said, having recovered as quickly as he went down. "Guess I just got so caught up in everything, I forgot most people don't know about the Church of Zentopia."

Dan went on to explain how he grew in the city of Palinus City and the Grand Cathedral of Zentopia at its heart, how he came to Avalon Academy along with his friend Mary Hughes, and his dream of joining the Zentopia Legion Corps.

And the rest of the night went like that, with pleasant small talk.

 _ **Breakfast, the next day…**_

"And that's why I'm not allowed to use scissors anymore." Wendy said as she just finished telling a story to Lester and Desmond while they were eating lunch.

"That poor monkey." The dirty blond teen replied while Lester just grumbled as he stabbed his fork into a mushroom, still pissed and disturbed by the last few days.

"Hey, guys!" The three turned and saw Crystal walking towards their table, taking a seat next to Wendy. "So, anything new with you guys?"

"Shouldn't you be eating with your new boyfriend?" Lester asked.

"Oh, Dan and I aren't going out on anymore dates." The Crystal Make wizard stated like she was talking about the weather; Desmond spat out his orange juice.

"So you told that weirdo to back off. Good for you!" Lester said, his mood suddenly much better.

"Actually, it was a mutual thing." Crystal stated, much to the confusion of her friends. "It was a fun date, but after talking we decided not take things any further. There was no spark or anything, so we both agreed to part ways."

"You sure he was alright with that?" Wendy asked. Crystal looked into the distance and saw Dan talking with some girls, the crimson-haired man acting as crazy as he did when they first met.

"I think he'll be fine."

 **Author's Note 2: Ya, I think we needed a somewhat silly chapter after the last one. And this won't be the last we see of Dan!**

 **Next Time: Remedial Lessons! Please remember to read, write, and review!**

 **See ya next time!**


	6. Remedial Lessions

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 _Chapter 6: Remedial Lessons_

 _She had experienced it hundreds of times before._

 _The majestic wings and beautiful scales._

 _The thrill of riding on her back as she flew through the air._

 _The calm and gentle voice the cared for her and taught how to use magic._

 _She was Grandine, the Sky Dragon; her mother._

 _But there was always someone else there. A boy, she believed, who was much older than she was. He would help Grandine hunt for their meals and fend off predators. But it was the details that eluded her._

 _She couldn't remember his age, his face, why he was around her and Grandine._

 _She couldn't even remember his name._

 _But she remembered the storm. The booming lightning, the thrashing waves, the howling wind, and the boy screaming out her name even as the currents ripped them apart._

 _And then-_

*BBBRRRIIINNNGGG*

Wendy opened her bleary eyes and looked at her alarm clock. Groaning, she sat up reached to turn it off.

"Good morning, child." Wendy turned to see Carla, already up and dressed.

"Aaahhh, morning, Carla," Wendy said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

The white cat walked over to the blinds and flung them open, flooding the room with light.

The morning sun shone on Wendy's face, banishing the last vestiges of sleep from the short Dragon-Slayer. As she rubbed the sleep out her eyes, she once more tried to figure out the meaning of her dream. Her earliest memories were of her foster mother, Grandine, and the mysterious boy. She figured that Grandine stuck in her early memories more due to her being a dragon than anything else. Anyone would be hard-pressed to forget such a towering, beautiful, and awe-inspiring creature like her.

But she knew the boy had to be important too, but how was the question. Wendy figured that storm in her dreams was probably the reason why some of her early memories were missing.

After the storm, she remembered waking up in the care of the Cait Shelter Guild, with Master Roubaul telling her that she was left on their doorstep. So that was yet another mystery of her life; who rescued her from the storm and left her in the hands of Cait Shelter? And why?

"Alright, no time for dilly-dallying," Carla said, snapping Wendy out of her thoughts. "Time waits for no Wizard, and you've got class."

'Well, time to freshen up.' Wendy thought, getting out of bed to start her day.

 _ **And then...**_

"COME ON, YOU LAZY ASSHOLES! I'VE SEEN GOLEMS THAT RUN FASTER!" Coach Subarashi bellowed out as he led his PE class. Like usual, Lester was able to keep up with most of the class (even if he was mentally calling Subarashi every dirty name he knew.)

Wendy, on the other hand…not so much. The small Dragon Slayer was wobbling and wheezing like crazy until she finally fell on her face.

"MARVELL, HIT THE SHOWERS!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Wendy groaned, forcing herself off the field in an admittingly pitiful display.

Later on, after hitting the showers with the rest of the class, Lester stepped out of the locker room and saw Wendy, sitting in a fetal position outside the girl's locker room.

"You feelin' okay, short-stuff?" The bespectacled teen asked, getting a head shake in return.

"PE is hell," Wendy bemoaned, refusing to even look Lester in the eye.

Lester had to admit she had a point. It was especially true for herself as the blue-haired girl didn't have an athletic bone in her body. He had asked himself how she'd managed to become a guild wizard with lack of physical abilities. But his thoughts were interrupted by the intercom.

" _Wendy Marvell, please report to Counselor Summerfield's office. I repeat; Wendy Marvell, please report to Counselor Summerfield's office."_

Wendy just sighed and stood up. "Guess I'll see you later, Lester."

"Cool, see ya," the amethyst eyed boy said as the two went their separate ways. After a few minutes, the blue haired girl arrived in front of the guidance counselor's office and waited her turn.

"Come on in, Ms. Marvell." Wendy heard and entered the room, which consisted of a bookshelf, various motivational poster, a desk, and two chairs. The only other occupant was the very definition of an educator; a dignified, elderly woman with crows feet and smile lines. Her gray hair was pulled into a bun, brown eyes behind a pair of square, black-rimmed glasses. She wore a dark blue jacket over a white blouse with a skirt to match her jacket.

"G-good afternoon, Mrs. Summerfield."

"And to you as well. Please take a seat," the counselor said with a smile. Shaking with nerves, Wendy did as she was told.

"S-so, why did you want to see m-me?" Wendy asked. Summerfield took out a folder with Wendy's full name on it. She then opened it and began to read it.

"Well, it seems you've been keeping up with most of your classes. Especially your mathematics course," Summerfield said with a smile, calming Wendy down a bit. "However…"

The gray-haired woman pulled out two papers from the folder and handed it to the blue-haired girl. Wendy picked up the papers and read them. And what she saw sent her mood crashing down like a meteorite.

The first piece of paper was her PE assessment scores. Every single one was a big fat F.

The second was an evaluation of her combat prowess. Or lack thereof. It showed her ranking of 967 and a blank summary.

"Your Physical Education scores are…less than ideal," Mrs. Summerfield stated. "And normally students who are already members of a guild are exempt from taking the combat entry exam under the assumption that any guild wizard enrolling is already capable of fighting. But since you've started the semester here, not only have you not even attempted any kind of duel, but you've also haven't even attempted any of the Golem Training Courses."

"Well….um…"

"Not to mention that you're Physical Education marks have been Fs all across the board," Mrs. Summerfield continued with a straight face.

"I-I-I…"

"Ms. Marvell, I'm going to be honest with you; if this keeps up, we'll have no choice but to hold you back a year."

"WHAT!" Wendy shrieked as her face turned bone white. Her body started shaking at Mrs. Summerfield's words and it felt like her throat had closed shut. Wendy's mind started conjuring images of all her friends, Crystal, Lester, and Desmond, walking away and moving on with their lives and leaving behind.

'NO NO NO! This can't be happening, ' she thought. She could vividly see the looks of disappointment on Carla and Guild Master Roubaul's faces. 'I can't be held back, I just can't! Master Roubaul put his faith in me and if I'm held back…' She couldn't bear to finish that thought as tears started poking at the corners of her eyes.

"Mrs. S-S-Summerfield, I'm sorry!" Wendy begged through quivering lips and watery eyes. "I'll do better! I'll get my grades up, I promise!"

"Ms. Marvell, calm yourself," Mrs. Summerfield said softly. "Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths; panicking will get us nowhere."

Wendy simply nodded and did as she was told. After a few minutes of deep breathing (which took far longer than Mrs. Summerfield had anticipated,) Wendy had stopped shaking and the color had returned to her face.

"Better?" the counselor asked.

"Y-yeah," Wendy said, although still clearly shaken.

"Now, please listen; if you can end the semester with at least a C in PE and your rank raised by 50 points, you'll be able to pass and move up with the rest of your class."

"Oh, thank the Firsts," Wendy breathed.

"And to help you, I've already arranged a tutor for you," the grey-haired woman said before pressing the speaker on her desk. "Send him in."

A few moments later, a familiar hulking, purple-haired teen walked through the door, surprising Wendy.

"You must be Wendy," Jacob said with a small smile. He then held his hand out. "The name's Jacob Melville, and I'll be your tutor for a while."

'What the heck?' Wendy thought as she stared at his outstretched hand a moment, taken aback by his friendly demeanor. The stark contrast between how he acted now and during the now infamous 3v3 was shocking (to put it lightly.)

But, Wendy relaxed as she came to a sudden realization. 'Oh, that's right; we've never actually met before and he doesn't even know I'm friends with Lester and Desmond.'

"N-Nice to meet you!" She stuttered out before awkwardly shaking Jacob's hand.

 _ **The next day…**_

"You're seriously going through with this?" Crystal asked as she and Wendy walked to class. After greeting each other, Jacob told her that they would be meeting at the training fields after classes were over.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," the young Dragon-Slayer stated. "I've never really needed to fight or be strong before, and Jacob's pretty strong in his own right."

"I get that, but the guy still seems like a jerk from what I've seen and heard," the black-haired girl stated.

In yet another classroom, Lester and Desmond were listening to one of Professor Tomay's lectures. Well, Desmond was listening while Lester was…distracted. As were many of the boys and even a few of the girls.

Professor Abigail Tomay was a woman in her early thirties with strawberry-blonde hair, a light tan complexion, amber eyes behind a pair of round glasses; she wore a dark red tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers. But the most prominent thing about the professor (and what made many boys and girls alike come to her class) was her bountiful bosom. The pair of breasts seemed to bounce and jiggle with the slightest of movements. And like many before him, Lester was captivated by their movement.

"So you see, a Wizard's inner mana pool has no conceivable upper limit. But like a muscle, it requires the wizard in question to constantly use and apply their inner mana in order for it to grow," the strawberry-blonde woman said. "But keep this in mind; no matter how much inner mana one has unless their magic is specially made it, it has no effect on the body's stamina, strength or durability. Furthermore-"

Suddenly, the bell to end class rang, snapping many students out of their stupors and waking up a few others.

"Well, that's all we have for today," Tomay said as her students gathered their things for their next classes. "Be sure to have the Tool worksheets finished by the next class. Oh, and Mr. Mayfield…"

"Uh, yeah?" Lester replied, perplexed.

"After classes are over for the day, please come to see me. Understood?"

"U-Um, yes Ma'am!" the bespectacled teen blurted out. As the students started heading for their next class, Desmond noticed that Lester had an unusually happy expression on his face. And it was kind of creeping him out.

"Okay, what's goin' through that head of yours?" The Guns Wizard asked.

"Dude, think about it? A hot teacher with a huge rack asks her young and strapping student to meet her in private," Lester explained with a perverted smile. "I've read about scenarios like this! Looks like my luck with women is turning around."

And there was only one reaction Desmond could have to such a comment. Smacking himself in the face and groaning.

"First off, who the hell describes themselves as 'strappin''? Second, I highly doubt Professor Tomay would risk her job and jail time just bang one of her students. And third, just how desperate are ya'?"

Each statement felt like a stab in the back for Lester.

"I guess your aim's not the only sharp thing about you," the amethyst eyed boy said with a forced chuckle.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Within the newspaper club room, Gio and Gia were in the midst of writing their newest story about students getting into fights in the capital. But their endeavors were interrupted by a familiar blond teen kicking the door in. Daizo was bright red and panting as wild strands flew off his combed back hair, his green eyes burned like pools of acid.

The twins looked at him cooly, barely responding to the bang of the door being kicked open.

"Oh, hey Daizo," Gia said to the fuming blond.

"What's up?" Gio stated. Daizo growled and grabbed Gio by his shirt collar and lifted him up. The black haired boy remained unperturbed. "I get the distinct impression that you're mad about something."

"You're damn right I am," Daizo spat, his voice high and venomous. "It's been almost three weeks since I gave you two that story, and yet not a single issue of the Avalon Gazette has exposed Mayfield for the violent prick that he is!"

"Well, there's actually a good reason why we haven't run that story. Basically, we'd be slandering a fellow student, and there's no way the school board would let us run a story like that," Gio explained, unfazed by Daizo's outburst.

"Are you pulling my leg?! You two did an entire expose of the swim team padding their speedos!" Daizo shouted, shaking Gio while Gia giggled pervertedly at the memory of that particular story. "They're okay with that, but not exposing a liar?!"

"Well, it's not like we forgot about it. In fact, Mayfield's still gonna be exposed." Gia said. The angry blond stopped moving, staring at Gio with wide, suspicious eyes.

"What do you mean?" Daizo asked, restraining himself out of curiosity.

Gia let out another giggle, her expression turned mischievous. "You see after you gave us the story, we knew it would never be published here. But it was just so juicy that we had to get out there. So we sent it to our mother."

"Who just so happens to the Crocus Crown's Editor-in-Chief," Gio continued. "So any day now, Mayfield's little secret will be exposed to everyone in Fiore."

And hearing that made the blond teen smile as he gently put Gio down. "Ah, I needed that." He turned around to walk out of their office. "Thanks, guys! You just made my day!"

 _ **And then…**_

Soon enough, classes had ended for the day and most of the students were either grabbing dinner or heading back to their dorm rooms. Keyword being most of them, as a certain blue-haired dragon-slayer and her feline companion arrived at the training field. When they did arrive, they saw that Jacob had placed a training dummy and had also changed into his PE uniform. And for a breath second, Wendy noticed Jacob rubbing his stomach, groaning as he did so, before going back to what he was doing.

"Hello, M-M-Melville," Wendy stuttered, catching Jacob's attention.

"Ah, you're here," the purple-haired teen said before he noticed Carla standing next to Wendy. "What's with the cat?"

"This cat has a name, young man," Carla answered with a pout.

Jacob went bug-eyed and screamed. "HOLY SHIT, THE CAT CAN TALK!"

"Oh, this is Carla," Wendy explained. "She's my best friend and also kind of my chaperone."

"Do you really need a chaperone?" Jacob asked, quickly getting over his initial shock.

"Of course she does," Carla answered before pointing an accusatory digit at Jacob. "I need to make sure that no horndogs have their ways with this sweet child."

At her proclamation, Jacob could only stare at Carla with a bewildered look on his face. 'Overprotective, much?'

"Look, you don't have to worry about me doing anything perverted; first I'm not that kind of guy, ask anyone who knows me; second, Wendy's not my type, at all."

While at first Wendy was hurt by this rather blunt statement, she then remembered Jacob and his affections for Sasha. And how stacked the blonde was.

"So I figured we'd start off with this," Jacob continued, pointing to the practice dummy. "I want you to hit this dummy with your strongest spell."

"What for?" Wendy asked.

"So we can get a gauge at how strong your magic is," the Cyclone Wizard said before stepping out of the line of fire. "Go on. Give your best shot."

"O-Okay," the blue-haired girl said as Carla stepped aside. Wendy looked at the dummy and struck an admittedly poor combat stance. She then began to suck in some air and a light-blue magic circle appeared in front of her.

" _Sky Dragon's Roar!"_ With a mana-infused yell, Wendy unleashed a massive torrent of wind that not only tore the dummy to shreds but all the caught in its path as well. She'd even managed to tear up some chunks of earth.

"Well damn," Jacob stated, thoroughly impressed. "That was actually pretty good for…" His voice fell flat as stopped and saw that Wendy was floundering around with Carla trying to keep her upright. "Wait, what?"

"Poor dear," Carla said, inspecting Wendy like a concerned mother. "That spell always takes so much out of her."

'One offensive spell and she suffers from total mana depletion?! Just like that?!' He thought. 'By Justicia's Hammer, I have my work cut out for me.'

After giving Wendy a few minutes to rest and recover, they moved onto the next evaluation.

"Alright, I want you to hit me as hard as you can," Jacob stated.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Who's the tutor here?"

"R-Right," Wendy replied before swallowing out of nervousness. She began to punch Jacob. And by punching, I mean lightly tapping his chest with skinny arms and limp hands. All while Jacob just had a blank look on his face.

"Okay, stop that."

"I-I didn't hurt you, did I?" Wendy said as she quickly leaped back.

"I'd be surprised if you could hurt the cat with those noodles," Jacob replied. "You know what, let's just see if you can make a fist."

"Okay." The blue-haired dragon-slayer replied before making a 'fist,' in which her thumb was inside her knuckle.

Jacob smacked himself in the face. 'We're gonna be here for a while.'

Meanwhile, Lester was walking towards Professor Tomay's classroom. And he was feeling a bit nervous as he wondered what she wanted him for. It couldn't be his grades since he prided himself on his excellent test scores. It couldn't be his engagement in class, otherwise, she'd be talking with most of the other boys. This lead to his mind once more going into the gutter and conjuring up a completely unrealistic scenario.

 _ **In the theater of Lester's Mind…**_

" _My, my, my, Mr. Mayfield, it looks like you missed a few marks on your last test." Professor Tomay said, her giant bosom bouncing with every sultry breath. "Looks like I'll need to teach you a lesson."_

" _And what kind of lesson would that be, Professor?" Lester asked, his voice husky and velvety smooth as he walked over to her desk._

" _Oh, please, call me Abby," the busty professor said as she leaned against her desk, batting her eyes her student. "And I suppose I'll have to give some...special lessons."_

 _And at the end of her sentence, Professor Mayfield laid herself across the desk, enticing her student with everything she had to offer. Her long legs…_

 _ **AH!**_

… _her sultry eyes…_

 _ **AH!**_

… _her luscious lips…_

 _ **AH!**_

… _and finally her massive cleavage._

 _ **WOW!**_

 _ **Back in reality…**_

With his mind was in the gutter, Lester let out a perverted chuckle as students and teachers alike stared at him in disturbed fascination before walking away. But after shaking the perverted thoughts out of his head, the bespectacled teen continued to walk until he reached Professor Tomay's classroom.

"Ah, about time you got here, Mr. Mayfield," Professor Tomay said as she sat behind her desk. "Take a seat."

"A-Alright." The Fighting Spirit wizard said, his perverted fantasy still fresh in his mind. As he did so, he noticed the bespectacled professor's hand reaching up to her tracksuit's zipper.

"Do you mind if I get comfortable?"

"N-No! Not at all!" Lester shouted. 'Holy fucking shit is this really happening?!'

And so, the bespectacled teen paid _close_ attention as Professor Tomay began to unzip her tracksuit. Lester was practically drooling in anticipation, ready to get an eyeful of her massive bra-clad boobs. But instead…

 _BOING!_

...he got what could be described as a pair of teardrop shaped bags filled with blue gel. He also saw that underneath Professor Tomay's top was a black t-shirt that showed her true B-cup breasts.

"Haaaa," Tomay breathed. "So much better."

"Abababa…I don't…what?" Lester stuttered out, giving his teacher a good laugh.

"Yup, that surprised look never gets old," she said with a jovial smile. "And in case you're wondering, Avalon's Mana Application course has been notorious for low student signup. So when I started working here, I figured I needed to do something to up attendance. And since most teenagers follow their hormones…well…" She picked up the bags with a mischievous smile on her face. "Made these girls myself; a little magic and they stick right to my shirt."

"I…I get it," Lester replied, being both shocked and slightly disappointed. "So...why did you want to talk to me about?"

And upon hearing that, Professor Tomay's expression became its usual professional appearance as she pulled out some papers from her desk.

"Well, Mr. Mayfield, you've made a bit of a name for yourself since transferring here. You've only had two duels, but they've been against some of our most skilled students. Your Fighting Spirit Magic is also very impressive."

Hearing this praise made Lester smirk.

"However, there seems to be a bit of a gap with your magic," Tomay continued, confusing the brown-skinned teen. "According to your transcripts, Fighting Spirit is your Second Origin. And from what I've heard, your First Origin, Property Alter, seems to be lacking."

Lester said nothing for a bit before sighing. "Well, what do you expect? Property Alter Magic…sucks; it just sucks. Sure, it has a few uses, but compared to other magic it's nothing special."

Hearing this made Professor Tomay sigh before pulling a brick and a plastic marble out of her desk. The bespectacled teacher stood the brick up on one side of the table and the marble on the other.

"Pay attention," Tomay ordered. Lester did just that, wondering what his teacher was up to. The strawberry-blonde took a breath before a faint aura of purple magic appeared around her body.

" _Property Alter: Adamantine!"_

As Lester did a double-take, the aura surrounding Tomay briefly expanded for a second before fading. She then quickly flicked the marble, launching it at the brick…and the marble shot right through the brick, shattering it into a dozen pieces. Suffice to say, Lester's jaw hit the floor.

"Is that what you'd call 'nothing special?'" Tomay asked before continuing. "Here's something you should always remember; all magic is capable of being amazing. But only if the caster knows how to use it properly. Now tell me, how does Property Alter work?"

"Um…you can only alter the properties of anything your skin touches?" Lester answered, unsure since that description didn't seem to apply to what the professor once did.

"Incorrect!" Tomay shouted. "You see, when you cast Property Alter, you're actually surrounding your body in a thin 'Alter Field,' allowing you alter any inanimate object within the field. And with practice, you can expand the range of your Alter Field to several feet."

"Wait, seriously?!" The bespectacled teen shouted with a smile on his face. "I…I never knew that."

And he really didn't. For the last few years of his life, Lester put himself more and more at risk fighting animals, bandits, and monsters around his hometown until he awakened his Second Origin, pretty much only using his First Origin for emergencies.

But now, his eyes were open and his mind was racing with possibilities. And this was transparent in his expression, much to Professor Tomay's delight.

 _ **And then…**_

With a heavy sigh, Wendy opened a can of orange juice and took a sip before taking in the night sky from her bench. For the last few hours, Jacob had pushed the blue-haired girl past her limits, all while being incredibly blunt with how much she needed improvement.

As Jacob put it, if they managed to dodge her one-shot Roar spell, she could be killed by a moderately armed bandit. Her inner mana pool, from all observable accounts, was more shallow than a kiddy pool (hence why she could only cast one offensive spell or two healing spells before suffering mana depletion,) and her fighting style was basically non-existent.

And so, after the day's evaluation, Jacob was going to come up with a training plan in order get Wendy to speed in order to improve her ranking and PE scores. Deciding to give Wendy some space, Carla had gone to the cafeteria to grab dinner, leaving Wendy to travel the campus by herself.

"Hey, Wendy." The blue-haired girl turned and saw Lester walking towards her with a book titled 'Expanding your Mind' in his hand. "So, how was the tutoring?"

"Exhausting," Wendy replied. "Turns out I'm a horrible wizard."

"Oh, come on. No one's that bad. I'm mean you're a Dragon-Slayer, aren't ya?"

The bespectacled man then noticed the girl's rather distraught look. A look he'd seen many times in the mirror in his younger days.

"Well, that's why we're here," Lester proclaimed with a bright smile. "To learn to be better wizards. All this is part of the experience. Right?"

And even though it wasn't much, hearing it put like that made Wendy feel slightly better. "I guess."

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Unbeknownst to Lester, Wendy, or anyone else, in the office building of the _Crocus Crown_ was a woman working late into the night. She had glossy short and curly black hair, brown eyes like polished walnut, and fair skin with a light tan. She wore a plum colored dress and black one-inch heels along, a pair of tortoiseshell cat eye glasses rested on her long nose.

Her fingers clacked away at a typewriter with long nails that matched her dress, her focus razor sharp. To her left was a sunny yellow notepad and pen alongside an open manila folder. All the papers had been pulled out of the folder, and at the bottom of the last page it read ' _With Love, Gio and Gia.'_

 **Author's Note 2: Another chapter and another batch of Fantasy High School Anime cliches deconstructed and turned upside down.**

 **And yes, after so many chapters, I finally found a way to literize the infamous Fairy Tail fanservice sounds. But don't think that means me and xpegasus will go as fanservice crazy as the source material.**

 **Also, if anyone thought that Lester's fantasy was distasteful or unrealistic, that was the point. It's the fantasy of a teenager who hasn't had sex yet. I had them, most you probably had them, and I think this further distinguishes Lester from his bland contemporaries.**

 **Next Time: Blood Feud! Please remember to read, favorite, review, and help this series by editing the TV Tropes page!**

 **See ya next time!**


	7. Blood Feud

**Author's Note 1: The Fairy Mythos Series is a non-profit fanfiction series.**

 **Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.**

 **Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.**

 **Please support the official release.**

 _Chapter 7: Blood Feud_

 _ **Years Ago…**_

 _As the sun set over the village of Doblin, a young boy and his father sat together on a hill. The boy held his father's hand as their eyes pointed toward the horizon._

" _Desmond."_

" _Ya, papa?"_

"… _Can you tell me how the sun looks today?"_

" _Course, papa."_

 _ **Present…**_

Desmond began his usual morning routine. Brushing his teeth, picking out which hat he was going to wear that day, and checking to see if he had started to grow facial hair.

'Dang nabbit, not a single hair,' Desmond thought with a sigh as he looked in the mirror. 'At this rate, I'll never grow a beard.'

With a defeated sigh, the dirty-blond teen put away his desire to grow a glorious beard and continued his routine. After getting dressed, he opened a small chest on top of the dresser. Inside was lapis lazuli pendant set into a piece of silver. Overall, it quite an ordinary and unremarkable thing, like something one would find collecting dust in an antique store. But to Desmond, it was more precious to him than the most expensive of diamonds. He rolled it over in his hand, feeling his father's initials, 'J.T.,' engraved on the back. After a moment, he looked up at the clock and put the pendant away, heading out to start his day with Lester.

 _ **And then...**_

"Holy Shit," Lester exclaimed as he and Desmond walked through the streets of Crocus. With the weekend upon them, the students of Avalon Academy were free to explore the capital and the campus without any supervision. As such, Lester decided to tour Fiore's massive capital city, with Desmond as his guide.

The two decided to forgo their uniforms for casual wear on their day out. Lester wore a purple button-up shirt, jeans, and white sneakers; Desmond wore an unbuttoned red & black flannel shirt with a white undershirt, jeans, brown boots, and one of his many cowboy hats.

And what were the two doing right now? Exploring the Hall of Heroes, a museum dedicated to the heroic legacy of Fiore's Soldiers, Knights, Wizards, and others worthy of the title 'Hero.' Currently, they were looking at an immaculate painting of Samuel the Brave, the first Rune Knight in Fioran history. The painting showed Samuel leaping into the air, his sword raised and ready to strike down a Diasian War Golem.

"There's something awe-inspiring about this painting, you know?" Lester said to his friend, although the cowboy seemed rather disinterested in the painting of Samuel.

"It's…alright," the dirty-blond said blandly before he turned to the painting next to it. The piece was a haunting painting of a knight clad in black armor. The knight stood in the center of a bloody and chaotic battlefield. The knight's posture was tired, yet determination seemed to radiate from them. Lester read aloud the plague under the painting.

" _Black Chaos:_ Dedicated to the memory and mystery of the Black Knight. Through their name may be lost, let us never forget their heroism," the brown-haired boy said. "Why do you like this one? It's kind of creepy."

Desmond just shrugged. "Not sure; maybe it's 'cause you don't see pictures of the Black Knight as often as other heroes."

The two continued their tour to an observation perch, Lester looking through one of the telescopes. It truly amazed him how big the Crocus was. To put it in perspective, one apartment complex square was almost the size of Doblin Village in its entirety. It was incredible and terrifying to move from a village with only a few thousand residents to a city with over three million people. He continued to look around until he saw a rather impressive site on a nearby mountain.

On top of the summit sat an open-air coliseum of grey stone. At its entrance was a massive archway. On top of the coliseum's outer wall were four massive pedestals, one in each cardinal direction, and on each pedestal stood a statue holding a staff. And even from this distance, Lester could tell they were statues of four of the Firsts.

"What is that?"

"That's Domus Flau," Desmond explained. "It's mostly used for Wizard Duels, but it's also used for the Rune Knight's wargames, festivals, and sometimes the circus will set up there if they get permission."

"Okay, but why is it so freakin' huge?"

"Well, it's open to the public," the dirty blond stated. "I even saw a duel a month ago and it was pretty badass."

"Huh. Maybe I should check one out." Lester said. The two started to walk down the steps of the observatory. But as they did so, Lester accidentally bumped into someone. "Geez, sorry about that."

"Oh, it's no problem," they said. Lester looked up to see they were a boy about his and Desmond's age. He had wavy, shoulder-length black hair, a slightly tan complexion, and silver eyes. His outfit consisted of a blue t-shirt with the phrase 'Lady Luck' on it, a pair of brown gloves, dark blue jeans, and a pair of black boots. The boy then looked at the two with a curious expression. "Say, haven't I seen you two somewhere else?"

The two friends looked at each other, neither one of them recognizing the stranger.

"That's right, Professor Harold's Trigonometry Class," the stranger said.

"Really?" Lester said as he tried to think back to the students in that class. A look of realization dawned on his face when he remembered one student falling asleep and slamming his head on his desk. The class had burst into a fit of laughter, much to the boy's embarrassment and Professor Harold's chagrin. "Oh, yeah. You're head slam guy." Lester stated, making the stranger blush and Desmond sigh.

"Yup, that's me," the black-haired teen said with a chuckle before holding his hand out. "Let me properly introduce myself. My name's Asher Zilberstein."

"Lester Mayfield," the bespectacled teen said, taking Asher's hand.

"Desmond Trotter," the dirty blond said as the two also shook hands. Asher's grip was tight around his hand, Desmond almost winced before the black-haired teen let go. "Geez, you've gotta strong grip."

"Thank you, I do a lot of physical training for my magic," Asher said with a grin. "So, what're you guys up too?"

"Just takin' a tour of the capital," Lester replied. "How about you?"

"Eh, I'm just wandering around, browsing the shops for a birthday gift for my mom."

"Huh. Well, I'm looking for some souvenirs to send to my folks back home," the bespectacled teen stated. "Why don't ya come with us. Maybe some of the stores will have something she would like."

"How kind of you," Asher replied as he began to follow the two friends. They explored a few of the shops, from magic item shops to curios stands. And while Lester found of a bunch of stuff to send back to his parents, Asher wasn't so lucky. But while they were looking, the two friends never noticed the looks Asher would send Desmond's way.

Eventually, the three found themselves in a jewelry shop, figuring that Asher could find something nice for his mom. As the three looked around, a case full of deep blue gemstone jewelry caught Desmond's eye.

"Hey, Des, what'd you find?" Lester asked as wandered over to his friend, heavy bags filled with trinkets and knick-knacks jingling in his hands. Asher followed a few steps behind.

"Aw, I see you boys found something you like," said a portly saleswoman with bright green hair in a black and gold dress. "Everything in this display case is made of pure lapis lazuli mined and imported from the kingdom of Tarune." The woman smiled as she brought out a lustrous necklace.

"Wow, I'm no jewelry expert but that's pretty stunning," Lester said. "Hey, Desmond, isn't that same gem as your pendant?" Lester asked offhandedly mentioned, getting Asher's attention.

"Yeah, but mine ain't that fancy-lookin'," the dirty-blond replied.

"Excuse me, you have a lapis lazuli pendant?" Asher asked.

"Yup. It's a keepsake my pa gave me when I got in ta Avalon," Desmond said before turning back to Lester. As the two continued to talk, their black-haired accomplice was pondering something. He then looked down at his watch.

"Well, I've got some homework I need to finish. I'll figure something out later," Asher said. He waved Lester and Desmond goodbye and walked off. "Thanks for helping me out, guys. See you two in class."

"See ya," Lester said before he and Desmond continued to look at jewelry. As they did so, the black-haired teen's face shifted into a hard scowl.

 _ **And then…**_

"…so now I'm up to three Roar spells before passing out," Wendy said with a smile. Currently, the small Dragon-Slayer was relaxing in Crystal's room, talking about her recent training with Jacob. However, the black-haired girl was only half-listening from under a veritable mountain of notes covering almost every square inch of her desk.

"Uh huh," she replied, rhythmically tapping her pencil against her desk before erasing a sentence. The Crystal-Make wizard tried writing something else, only to get frustrated and erase it once more.

"You alright?" Wendy asked with a head-tilt.

"Uhhhhhh," Crystal groaned before slamming her head on her desk. "Writer's block fucking sucks."

She then looked at a framed photograph on her desk of an old man with a beard, ponytail, and the same squinted eyes she had. 'How did you do it, Grandpa?'

"Maybe I can help," Wendy said as she approached the desk and picked up one of the papers. She then started to read it. "'The two continued to clash…tongues, their passions becoming hotter and hotter.' What?"

"That's supposed to be the big, romantic kiss scene, but it's so bland," Crystal bemoaned.

"Well, can't you just rewrite it?"

"I have. You're reading at the twenty-seventh version of that scene."

"…Oh." Wency looked around the room awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. "Um, maybe I could get us something to drink?"

"Sure," Crystal said, giving an unenthusiastic wave as Wendy and Carla left the room.

While that was going on, Desmond was helping Lester carry a package towards the school mailroom. The gunslinger though it was a great idea for his friend to send his parents some gifts from the capital. Unfortunately, Lester went a bit overboard, filling up a box with so many knick-knacks he needed help carrying it.

"You know, I think a few photos would've been fine," the dirty blond said.

"Pfff, that's what everyone sends back home," Lester said as the two entered the registration office (which also served as the Academy's post office). Behind the desk sat Bart, a chubby man with short, dark red hair and pale yellow eyes behind thick glasses. He wore a crisp white button-up shirt and rainbow suspenders. As usual, he was reading a book with a blasé expression on his face, even as the two dropped the large package on his desk.

"Heya, Bart! I'm sending this to my folks back in Doblin," the bespectacled teen explained with a cheerful smile. The clerk looked at him apathetically before reaching down into his desk. And after a few seconds, Bart placed a pile of papers on the desk that almost as tall as the box itself. "…what?"

"Fill out all the marked forms and then I'll be able to ship it out," Bart explained as he went back to reading.

"Okay, but is all this really necessary?"

"Consider the size of the package, yes," the clerk explained without even glancing up. "Better get started if you want it to get it sent before dinner."

Lester looked at the pile and groaned.

"Well, I got some studyin' to do," Desmond said before heading out. "Good luck with that, Lester."

"I guess," the bespectacled teen said as took a pen from the desk and began to fill out the paperwork.

Back with Desmond, he really was heading back to his room to study. But as he turned the corner towards his dorm room, he noticed someone leaning against his door. As he approached it, the gunslinging teen saw that it Asher. The black-haired teen saw this and smiled.

"Well, it's about time you showed up," the silver-eyed teen said as he stood up straight.

Desmond raised an eyebrow at the black-haired teen. "Asher? The heck ya doin' here?"

"Oh, nothing much, just looking, minding own business. I found something very interesting," he said before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Or rather, something wrapped in a handkerchief. "Tell me, does this look familiar to you?" Asher held out his hand and pulled away the cloth.

Desmond's eyes widened as a pendant, his pendant, rested in Asher's hand. "How the hell did you get yer hands on my pendant?"

"Oh, is this your's?" Asher asked with mock confusion. "I didn't peg you as jewelry kind of guy. Delicate little thing though. I could probably break it just by squeezing it too hard." The black-haired teen said as ran a finger over the pendant.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Desmond screamed, surprising Asher by his sudden outburst. He saw the anger in the dirty-blond's eyes, exactly what he was looking for.

"This trinket really means that much you? How about this, I'll let you go and get your guns, then you follow me," Asher said. "But if you try anything…"

The silver-eyed teen then clenched the pendant, letting Desmond get the message. With an uncharacteristic scowl on his face, the Guns Wizard unlocked the door and walked into his room, grabbing his belt. After placing Tango, Waltz and every bullet clip he could on it, Desmond strapped the belt around his waist and returned to face Asher. The black-haired boy smirked, he placed the pendant in his pocket and motioned Desmond to follow him.

However, neither noticed a certain pair of eyes watching them from across the courtyard.

Their silent walk brought them out of Avalon Academy and into Crocus. There were a few times where Desmond thought of just shooting Asher in the back and be done with it. But he wasn't that kind of person and he was worried he might damage the pendant as well.

Soon enough, their journey brought them to a place that he and Lester had seen earlier; Domus Flau. The two teens approached the stadium, seeing a fence blocking anyone from entering. But that didn't deter Asher, who simply leaped over the fence and landed on the other side.

"Come on! You want your pendant back, don't you?" Asher asked. Without saying anything, Desmond leaped over the fence as well, following the black-haired teen until they were at the center of the arena, the sun setting in the distance.

"I think this will do just fine."

"Look, what's this all about?" Desmond asked, his patience wearing thin. "Why the hell did ya bring me out here?"

Hearing this, Asher's face became neutral. "You're really clueless, aren't you? Well then, how about a history lesson? Twenty-Five years ago, there were two wizards in the Fairy Tail guild; a sharpshooter and a brawler. They were the best of friends and were part a formidable team that took on the most dangerous jobs available. One day, one of them convinced their team to take on an S-Class Quest, one with a rewarded that dwarfed all their other jobs. Some of them were nervous, but they'd taken on S-Class Quests before so, in the end, they all went…but the mission went to hell in a handbasket as soon as it started. What was supposed to be two monsters turned out to be family of over a dozen. They barely got out alive. Some of them were stuck in the hospital weeks, but no one was killed. When they got to the Guild Hall, the sharpshooter started screaming at the brawler telling him it was his fault they almost got killed, that everything went wrong because of him. The two got into an argument that could be heard throughout the entire Guild Hall. Half of the team sided with the sharpshooter, and the other half with the brawler, and in the end the brawler and those that defended him left the Fairy Tail and joined another guild."

"Alright, what hell does this have ta do with me?" Desmond asked

"I'm getting to that," Asher growled. "Years later, the brawler and the sharpshooter's teams met up again, staying at the same inn for the night. With tensions running high the teams started screaming at each other so loud the whole inn heard them. Finally, the sharpshooter challenged the brawler to a duel to settle the score once for all. But that very duel was the end of both their careers; in the end, the sharpshooter was blinded, and and the brawler was paralyzed from the waist down. After that day, they both were forced to retire and their teams disbanded."

Realization slowly crept on Desmond's face as Asher spoke, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No way, you're not saying…"

Asher's mouth twisted into a dark, satisfied grin. "Finally getting it, Trotter. The sharpshooter was your father, Jeremiah Trotter, and the brawler was my father, Ephraim Zilberstein."

"No way," Desmond said, his voice shaking. "There's no way in hell that's true; yer just a dirty, rotten, lyin' varmint!"

"Oh, and how would you know that?" Asher asked with venom in his voice. "This all happened before we were born. Maybe my father just trusted me enough to tell me the whole truth, unlike your's."

Desmond scowled and clenched his fists. "Alright, fine. Maybe ya are tellin' the truth, but what's that got to do with me? Like ya said, this all happened before we were born."

"Isn't it obvious," the black-haired teen replied. "This is payback."

"Payback? But this ain't got nothin' ta do with us."

"Not for me, asshole!" Asher suddenly shouted. "This is for my father. I'm going to repay all the pain and misery he's felt over these years a thousandfold." The black-haired teen smirked. "But don't worry, I've got no intentions of going after your bastard of a father; attacking blind man doesn't seem right to me. I'm just going to turn you into a bloody smear across the floor; that will hurt more than anything I could do to him physically."

"Yer crazy," Desmond said.

Asher said nothing and simply leveled a glare at the dirty-blond. He then took out the pendant and placed it in the entryway to the arena, far away from where they'd be fighting. "Let's make this simple. You beat me, you get your keepsake back."

"And if ya beat me?" Desmond asked as he reached for his guns. Asher said nothing as indigo magic began to flow around his arms.

"As I said, if I beat you, you'll be a bloody smear on the floor!" He proclaimed as the magical energy formed into two indigo magic circles, one in front of each fist.

The two teens said nothing as the sun set further and further while the wind blew around them. After a few seconds of silence, Asher was the first one to move, running straight towards Desmond. Ever ready, the dirty blond took out Tango and aimed at his foe.

" _Guns Magic: Flame Bullet!"_

But as the mystically-charged bullet flew through the air, Asher closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, his eyes were now glowing with indigo mana. Without slowing down at all, the black-haired teen titled his head slightly, Desmond's flame bullet whizzing past him and hitting the coliseum's wall. The dirty-blond barely had any time to register that as Asher closed the gap.

" _Re-Quip: Lightning Knuckle!"_

The magic circles engulfed his arms, manifesting a pair of black & yellow gauntlets with electricity sparking around them. Acting quick, Desmond attempted to pull out Waltz, but Asher deflected his arm and socked the dirty-blond across the face, shocking him as well.

Getting back up and spitting out some blood, Desmond aimed Waltz and quickly channeled his mana into it.

" _Guns Magic: Frost Bullet Medley!"_

The behatted teen unloaded half a clip of frost-enchanted bullets, but like before, Asher evaded the shot completely before channeling his once again.

" _Re-Quip: Phantom Knuckle!"_

His new gloves were dark green boxing gloves with magic gems on top of them before he started his next chant.

" _Phantom Knuckle Storm!"_ He exclaimed before moving each of his arms in an arc, creating phantom duplicates of the gloves. He punched forward, launching the duplicate fists like missiles. Desmond attempted to run and evade the long-range spells. At first, he dodged a few of them, but some the projectiles managed to hit him in the forehead, left leg and stomach.

As he was hit by the phantom gloves, Desmond grit through the pain and aimed Tango at the ground near him.

" _Flame Bullet Medley!"_ The dirty-blond teen shouted before spinning a circle, creating a ring of fire around him.

'This should give me cover to reload,' Desmond thought as he reached for a clip.

But as he was reloading his guns, Desmond suddenly saw another barrage of phantom knuckles burst through the flames, hitting him on point. 'What the fuck?! How in blazes did he hit me?! He shouldn't be able to see me inside this fire ring!'

Realizing he needed to get out of the ring, Desmond leaped out of the fire and rolled to smother any flames on his clothes, aiming his gun but saw that Asher had already replaced his phantom gloves with a set of metallic dark purple gauntlets. The black-haired teen then aimed his palms behind him.

" _Double Sonic Boom!"_ Asher shouted as he launched into the air by twin sound blasts. Desmond attempted to shoot him out the air, but like before Asher managed to evade every single shot with subtle bursts of sound.

"Again?! What the fu-" Desmond began to say before his foe landed in front of him and socked him the jaw with a solid right cross, knocking out some teeth and even more blood. But through his increasingly wobbling vision, the gun-wielding teen saw that Asher's eyes were still glowing indigo. And suddenly, the realization hit him harder than any spell.

'He's using some kind of eye magic!' Demond thought as he looked at his opponent's softly glowing eyes.

'Keep trying to shoot me, you bastard!' Asher thought with a smirk as he continued his brawl with Desmond, his dirty-blond foe attempting to block his blows with his punches with his arms. From Asher's point of the view, the world had taken on an indigo tint. Desmond appeared to have slowed down while a shining purple duplicate of himself was leaping away to aim Waltz at him.

In real time, Desmond leaped back and was about to aim Waltz at Asher, just like in the later's vision. But the black-haired boy was prepared-

" _Sonic Blast!"_

-and blasted his opponent away. 'With my _Eyes of Truth,_ I can predict every move you'll make! You're never gonna hit me!'

For every conceivable form of magic, there exists the perfect countermagic. The Eyes of Truth are a form of Eye Magic that allows the caster to track and predict the movement of any given target along with all forms of mana. In other words, it's the perfect counter to any form of long-range magic. Something that was finally clicking in Desmond's mind. But while a lesser wizard would attempt to retreat when fighting a perfect counter, the gunslinging teen wasn't one to run away.

Getting back up, Desmond tossed Tango to the ground and unclipped his belt. Through his enchanted eyes, Asher saw that his opponent was going to touch every single spare clip on his belt before tossing it at him.

'What the hell is he doing?' The black-haired teen pondered as Desmond did just as his eyes predicted. 'He's just throwing away his ammo away. Is he just trying to confuse me?'

However, he then saw that with his belt in the air, Desmond was also aiming Tango...right at the airborne belt while the clips were still charged with mana. It was then that Asher realized what his foe was planning to do. "WHAT THE HELL?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Bang," Desmond said utterly calm and pulled Tango's trigger. The enchanted bullet flew through the air and hit one of the Flame Clips. This caused a chain reaction, causing all the bullet clips to explode in a massive combined plume of fire and ice. However, Desmond had severely underestimated just how much force the explosion would have and found himself swept off his feet and flying through the air. His short flight brought to an end when he collided with stadium wall, he let out a howl of pain and fell to the ground.

With a grunt of pain, Desmond forced himself to sit up and look around and saw Asher on the other side of the stadium. The black-haired teen was lying on the ground, unmoving, and Desmond couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. But that didn't matter right now. Desmond forced himself to his feet, determined to get his pendant back. With every step he took, pain ripped through the dirty-blond's body, it felt like he was being stabbed by dozens of red hot knives. When he reached the cent of the arena, his body gave out, Desmond collapsed and everything went dark.

 _ **And then…**_

Hours later, Desmond opened his to see white tile instead of the sky or dirt, and it took one whiff of the sterile, sanitized smell to know he was in the nurse's office.

"H-h-hi, Desmond," a soft voice said.

Surprised, the dirty-blond turned his head to see Wendy and Carla sitting next to his bed. "Wendy, what the heck are ya doin' here?"

"I, um, well, I saw you and that other boy leaving campus and I followed you," Wendy said nervously. "I tracked you guys by your scent and you guys lying on the ground in Domus Flau. I didn't see what happened, but I heard a really big explosion when and then I saw you guys lying on the ground."

"I see," Desmond said. With what felt like a herculean effort, he forced himself to sit up despite Wendy's protests. "Hey, ya didn't happen ta find a pendant there; silver with a dark-blue stone?"

Wendy perked up at the question. "Oh yeah, I did." She pointed to the other side of Desmond's bed. He looked down, expecting to see his pendant on the table next to his bed. When he found nothing, he looked around and gasped when he found it. Lying in the bed next to his was Asher, out cold, and on the table next to the black-haired boy's bed was pendant wrapped in Asher's handkerchief.

"What the heck. Why'd ya put it next to him?" Desmond asked, harsher than he meant to.

"S-sorry," Wendy blurted out. "It smelled like him so I thought it was his." She quickly walked over and grabbed the pendant and handed it to Desmond. "H-here you go."

"Thank ya kindly, Wendy," Desmond said with a smile. "And I'm sorry 'bout snappin' at ya." He traced his fingers over the cool metal, it brought a soothing comfort to him. Suddenly, his eyes widened, something wasn't right.

'What in tarnation?' he thought as he flipped the pendant over. Instead of the initials 'J.T.' of his father, Desmond found the back engraved with 'E.Z.'

"Is something wrong?" Carla asked.

"It's nothin'," Desmond said. "Thing is, this ain't mine. Guess I'm still loopy from the being knocked around." He handed the pendant to Wendy with a strained look on his face. "Mind puttin' this back for me?

"Sure thing," Wendy said.

As the blue-haired girl put the pendant back on Asher's table, a thought crossed Desmond's mind. "Ya know, I'm surprised ya were to carry me and him all the way back here."

"Oh, it wasn't me," Wendy said with a blush. "Carla flew you two back after I healed your injuries."

"Ya did? Well thank ya kindly, Miss Carla."

"You're quite welcome," the white cat said. "However, don't expect me to it again. It was quite the ordeal to carry both of you back even with the magical boost from Wendy. Understand, young man?"

Desmond gave a quick nod. "Yessum."

"Good," Carla said. "Now come along child, it's getting late."

"Oh, alright," Wendy said. "Bye, Desmond. See you later." Desmond smiled at her retreating form and waved goodbye.

Alone with his thoughts, the dirty-blond sighed and looked back at the unconscious Asher. 'So, he never even broke into my room to begin with,' Desmond thought, accepting the undeniable fact that his pendant still sat in its box in his room, safe and sound. Even knowing his keepsake was safe, Desmond frowned. 'E.Z.' must have stood for Ephraim Zilberstein, Asher's father, and the uncanny resemblance between the two pieces couldn't be a coincidence.

He hated to admit it, but as much as he loved his father, Desmond knew terribly little about his life before being blinded and forced to retire. It was a bittersweet subject for Jeremiah given his forced retirement. He could have the biggest grin on his face when he recounted stories his exploits with his old team, the Black Coursers, but when the story was over he'd often be melancholic and quiet for a while. When his old teammates would come and visit the family in Doblin, they'd always been tight-lipped and careful with their words when it came to the time before the accident. Even Desmond's mother, Penelope, had a habit of going quiet whenever the subject came up. All Desmond knew about their past was that his mother had been a Fairy Tail wizard alongside Jeremiah, and pregnant with him when her husband had been blinded.

Even so, the tales of Fairy Tail Desmond had been told captivated him to no end, and for as long he could remember he'd wanted to join his father's guild and carry on his legacy.

…but the sharpshooter couldn't help but feel some form of resentment bubble up in the pit of his stomach. The couple had never once mentioned the story Asher had told him, nor ever uttered the name "Ephraim Zilberstein" as far as Desmond could remember. Why? Did they not trust him? It felt like something so important, and if the matching pendants were any indication, Jeremiah and Ephraim had been close friends, much like himself and Lester.

'Dang it, pa, what the heck's goin' on,' Desmond thought with a frustrated sigh. He glanced over to Asher and recalled the veracity he fought with for the sake of avenging his father. Though he didn't like the other teen, the dedication and respect Asher clearly held for father was something Desmond could respect.

'Still, you didn't have to be such a dick about it.'

 _ **The Next Morning…**_

"Lester, Lester," Crystal said as she gently prodded the sleeping teen. Lester was currently taking a nap at in Avalon Academy's cafeteria. As soon as he'd sat down, the violet-eyed boy had all but collapsed, his face narrowly avoiding his bowl of cereal that was currently growing soggy.

"Lester!" Crystal exclaimed with a hard poke, jolting the boy awake.

"You can't have my kumquats!" Lester yelled, sitting up so fast he jostled the table. With bleary eyes, he was able to make out Wendy, Carla, and Crystal sitting across from him. "Oh…what's up…"

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked.

"So many forms…all needing exact weight. Only got…two hours…sleep…" Lester moaned as Carla poked him. As this was happening, Desmond approached the group with a plate with a mile high stack of pancakes.

"Told ya it was too much," the dirty-blond teen said, causing Crystal to look at his bandages and damaged face.

"Yikes! What happened to you?"

"Eh, some punks jumped me when I was walking around town," the Guns Wizard declared, recounting the lie he'd told the nurse. "Alright, buddy, let's get somethin' in yer stomach."

And as Desmond was helping his tired friend shovel soggy cornflakes in his mouth, Asher watched the blond from across the cafeteria, his face just as bruised as his opponent's. After waking up in the clinic, Asher had time to think about how he confronted the young gunslinger. In hindsight, he realized that he rushed into a fight without a firm grasp on kind of wizard Desmond was. While he was still determined to get vengeance, he now knew he had to be patient.

Maybe his vengeance wouldn't come within the next week. Maybe not even in the next year. But someday, he would avenge his father and make the Trotter family pay.

 **Author's Note 2: Hope you all enjoyed this Desmond-focused chapter. Honestly, coming up with the backstory for the young gunslinger was surprisingly fun. Same for Asher and his father. And I hope you all pay attention to one of Asher's magics because it's going to be appearing in Homecoming pretty goddamn soon.**

 **Next Time: Take a Chance! Please remember to read, review, favorite and support this series by editing the TV Tropes page!**

 **See ya next time!**


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